News & Reports

A growing chorus of concern, even outrage, about the current Orphan Works legislation demonstrates the importance of this issue for most photographers and other visual artists. Meantime, representatives from organizations that include the largest share of U.S. advertising, editorial and stock photographers have been meeting with members of Congress and key staff.

Do stock images have embedded metadata? SAA is conducting a MetaSurvey to find out. SAA's Photo Metadata Project is now underway with this comprehensive survey of metadata practices by photographers and stock image distributors. This is the first step in a yearlong project in partnership with the Library of Congress to raise awareness and promote use of standardized, embedded metadata in all digital image files.

Orphan Works is back. On April 24, new draft versions of the Orphan Works Act of 2008 were introduced by both Houses of the U.S. Congress. SAA has just published extensive commentary, and urges Congress to amend the bills.

The Stock Asylum announced it is closing its doors, and will be donating its archives of valuable stock industry reporting, analysis and resources to SAA.

Photolibrary is at last moving to contact, report and pay their Index contributors years of outstanding debts the company assumed when it purchased Index Stock in 2006. Supported by a coalition of fellow artist associations, SAA has been pressing the company for payment of previously unacknowledged debts and full acountability about its accounting practices.

SAA, now joined by leading North American photographer associations ASMP, APA, EP and CAPIC, continues to call on Photolibrary to answer serious allegations the company has not paid $2.2 million in commissions due Index Stock contributors.

SAA investigates allegations about Photolibrary's Index Stock reporting and payments to contributors.

After two months of ongoing and productive dialog with SAA, Getty Images today announced significant changes would be made to their $49 ‘web use’ license for both Rights Managed and Rights Ready imagery. The key concern of the SAA-led coalition of artist groups' was this product should "be restricted to short-term, highly limited, low-value usages and does not provide a substitute for high-value commercial and advertising online use licenses.

Since Imagestate went into bankruptcy in 2006 and was then purchased by Sheldon Marshall and Heritage Image Partners Ltd., contributor complaints have mounted. SAA has now learned the company is scheduled for "dissolution.” With just months until operations shut down, the situation has become critical for many contributors. What will happen to long overdue royalties from licenses made since the bankruptcy filing?

Two weeks after Getty Images announced their $49 web-use license product, a growing coalition of artists groups led SAA has called for the company to remove all Rights Managed imagery from the scheme. SAA made clear that the announcement of a term reduction to three months was a positive move, but falls short of addressing the serious concerns that the group has raised.

Last week, Getty Images announced a new $49 “web use” license for images from all of its collections, including its highest quality Rights Managed collections. This move effectively slashes the value of commercial web use licenses by up to 96% off their established rates. SAA was joined by leading trade associations representing over 12,000 artists calling for the removal of all RM imagery from this product

SAA published this investigative report to address one of the stock industry’s most serious issues – copyright infringement. Along with the new opportunities of the digital age, easy online access to millions of stock images has also made them vulnerable to theft and misuse. What is being done, and what more can we do?

SAA and six leading photo trade associations sent a joint letter to Getty Images CEO Jonathan Klein objecting to the drastic price cuts and calling for the company to remove all Rights Managed (including Rights Ready) imagery from their new $49 "web use" license product. Since then, more artists' associations have been adding their voices

Acknowledging SAA's leadership in promoting metadata use, the U.S. Library of Congress has awarded SAA the SAA one of eight partnerships for preserving digital media under the Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). SAA is tasked with developing a program of metadata education, with online resources and a multi-city seminar series.

SAA today announces the release of the SAA PLUS Packs Calculator. This free open-source software tool was designed to spur adoption of PLUS Packs, a new universal standard that offers an evolved form of Rights Managed licensing. SAA's Calculator streamlines the first step of the licensing process- selection of a PLUS Pack on one screen, with just a few clicks.