Getty Images has decided to remove water markings on its’ photographs so that they will be available to all for non-commercial use. This is a great idea because it gives student bloggers the ability to search through an entire stock collection and find a visual that suits what they are writing about.
As a student journalist I am not a skilled photographer. It’s difficult to find pictures to match what my posts are about sometimes. Getty Images is going to let anybody access the photo collection and embed photos to popular sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and WordPress.
In the article below, Getty Images describes how copy infringement is such a problem on the internet. Water-marked photos, water-marked to protect them from theft, were already available to the public. The company had no reason to try to keep fighting to protect their pictures. Now they are taking a new approach.
The change Getty Images is making represents a shift in its business model. How does a company make money releasing photos for free? All businesses need to ask themselves these questions because the internet fuels a huge competition. Releasing photos in full quality is attracting attention to the site. The company will be able to track who is embedding what, and it will use that information as data collection for advertising.
I think it’s really innovative and mature for the company to accept that the internet is changing what it does. If is doesn’t innovate and change with technology, the internet and mobile devices, Getty Images will definitely be left behind.
Getty Images is accepting a truth about the internet and trying to make it work for the company. This is relevant because photography is an important component to journalism, and these pictures being available helps bloggers.
Thank you Getty Images!
http://socialtimes.com/getty-makes-millions-images-free-bloggers-budget_b144096
