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More Evidence Digital Copyright Is Changing: Getty Sets Images Free, In Exchange For Big Data

NetApp

Tomorrow's businesses seeking new ways to monetize digital content, realizing "piracy" is often free advertising.

Getty Images will stop charging for non-commercial use of its copyrighted imagery. Instead, it's allowing bloggers and social-media users to embed stock pictures in a controllable way.

On the one hand, this is a win/win for Getty and millions of users of its content.

On The Other Hand, what will Getty do with all the valuable big data it'll generate? Apparently, it'll use it “to the benefit of our business.”

Olivier Laurent finds out more:

Bloggers will be able to use Getty's images at no cost. ... Getty Images [argues] it’s not strong enough to control how the Internet has developed.
...

Craig Peters, senior vice president of business development, content and marketing at Getty Images [says] “It’s incredibly easy to find content online and simply right-click to utilise it. ... The vast majority of infringement in this space happen with self publishers who typically don’t know anything about copyright.”
...
[From today] anyone will be able to...select an image and copy a...code to use that image on their own website. Getty Images will serve the image...much like YouTube currently does with its videos. [It] will include the full copyright information and a link back to the image’s dedicated licensing page. ... “There’s a value for Getty Images and the content owners,” says Peters. ... “We’ll have access to the information on who and how that image is being used and viewed, and we’ll...utilise that data to the benefit of our business.”

Yoree Koh adds color:

It is a radical move for a company that until now had required payment for its images. ... Getty says the move does not signal defeat [but] is an attempt to wrest some of the control back.
...
It knows that millions of people every day use millions of photographs owned by Getty Images illegally. ... The embeddable images will carry Getty’s logo and the photographer’s name at the bottom. [It] also links back to...where the image can be licensed...the bedrock of the company’s business.

And an anonymous Getty PR flak fills in the gaps:

Getty Images today announces...the ability for people to easily embed...its imagery – at no cost – for non-commercial use on websites, blogs and social media.
...
This will provide people with a simple and legal way to utilize content that respects creators’ rights. [It] will be showcased during SXSW Interactive.

What's next, Ingrid Lunden?

Getty wants to stop people simply copying its images willy-nilly. [But it's] a pretty big step for a library that has been built around paid content.
...
Some of the options for what it could do [next] include adding advertising overlays, paid features, sharing limits and extending it to video. ... But Getty Images is going at this very softly-softly..

True to form, Mike Masnick calls it, "A step in the right direction":

Getty Images has something of a reputation as a copyright maximalist. ... [It] has testified before Congress and pushed for copyright expansion. ... Hell, just a few weeks ago, some were debating if Getty should be described as a copyright troll after filing a flurry of copyright infringement lawsuits.
...
[This] sounds positively forward looking for an organization with a history...of being anything but forward thinking. ... Getty is making it clear upfront that it's taking a...surprisingly open view on what counts as "non-commercial" noting that...embedding for editorial purposes will always be deemed legit.
...
The company should be applauded for actually recognizing reality, and trying to adapt accordingly.

Paul Callan is similarly surprised:

Getty is a name I associate with photography and photojournalism. For them to change their business model so substantially comes as a bit of a shocker.

Meanwhile, Prof. Jeff Jarvis is just back from a flying visit to Belgium:

More media would be wise to follow Getty's example & make content embeddable.

Image credit: Rob Wieland (public domain)

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Digital Copyright Is Changing -- @RiCHi curates the news

A win/win for @GettyImages and millions of users of its content, says @RiCHi

Asks @RiCHi: What will @GettyImages do with all that valuable big data?

RT @NetApp_Biz: More Evidence Digital Copyright Is Changing: Getty Sets Images Free, In Exchange For Big Data

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This is OTOH: curated, fluff-free news and commentary, for people too busy to sift the gold from the sludge. Richi Jennings is an independent analyst, writer and editor. You can Google-Plus him at +richijennings, follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be his friend at Facebook.com/richij or just use boring old email: fs@richij.com. Richi also publishes a full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.