Friday, March 13, 2009

Flickr Collection now on Gettyimages.com

With Flickr becoming a huge online space for photographers to upload their works, it seems sharing images is becoming the norm among art websites. Recently Getty images decided to included a collection of photos from Flickr and now with this collection "customers can easily access and license Flickr photographs" (http://www.techtree.com/India/News/Flickr_Collection_Now_on_Gettyimagescom/551-100023-643.html)

According to this article, Getty Images selected image customer needs and photographs that hold exceptional expertise 'digital content', that include "everyday scenes and believable subjects, and original and regionally relevant content. It is a living collection, with thousands of new images added each month to meet the evolving needs of Getty Images' customers" (Techtree News)
But one issue of rights of the artist comes into question with the Flickr collection being available in "royalty-free and rights-managed licensing models" (Techtree News). Where do the artists get paid and do they at all if their artwork is part of Flickr and is now part of Getty images? This is also an issue of power and as the internet increases accessibility, power often is more temporary in this online space. I just found this really interesting, so if you want the article is mentioned above for more reading.

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