ALAMY IMAGES FOR A DOLLAR!

•  Alamy Images For A Dollar! – Stock agency Alamy has ruffled contributor feathers with its introduction last month of Limited Use, a scheme for selling images for as little as a dollar. Contributors who opted-in to new terms last Autumn, not knowing exactly what they were signing up to, now found their images exposed to Limited Use. Under the new terms, contributors were locked in, but Alamy quickly relaxed this as a furore developed. [expand story >>>]

As is usual with Alamy, the furore developed publicly on their Internet forum. Stock photographers have a lot invested in their filings. This is threatened by the new phenomenon of microstock. All agencies must respond somehow. But Alamy's contributors are generally opposed to the company selling their images as microstock. There was a feeling that Limited Use was simply microstock by another name, and that photographers had been duped into unknowingly signing up for it. Alamy insists this was not their intention – the rather opaque route they took to Limited Use was necessary for competitive reasons, they say.

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photoweek/2008/01/getty-is-for-sale

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ALAMY FEATURED ON PHOTOGRAPHY TV!

• Alamy Featured On Photography TV! –
UK-based picture agency, Alamy, features on the latest episode of PhotographyTV. Part three of episode two of this new magazine-style web TV show is based in Alamy, and includes a walk around with Alamy Chief Executive, James West. West talks openly with presenter Sian Welby about the challenges facing stock photography. Sian also interviews Alamy Head of Content, Alan Capel, about the agency's picture submission process. [add comment]

ALAMY GETS TOUGH ON MODEL RELEASES!

• Alamy Gets Tough On Model Releases! – Stock agency Alamy has put a post on its blog describing tough action against a contributor who knowingly supplied inaccurate information about an image. The agency was contacted by a member of the public who had found an image of themselves marked as having a model release. The contributor admitted not actually obtaining a release, and Alamy terminated his contract! [expand story >>>]

Alamy's terms and conditions state that "Alamy gives no legal assertion that an image marked as having a model and/or a property release has these releases."

In related news, spoof online newspaper The Onion pubished a story last year, Hero Firefighter Loses Lifelong Battle With Fire, illustrated with an image of the allegedly deceased firefighter. But when the image was brought to the attention of the actual living firefighter recently, he complained. He had signed a release, but believed his image was only to be used by The City of Ottowa. [add comment]