In an interesting move, Getty Images has decided to let bloggers and social media have free access to about 35 million pictures.
The only requirement is that it can only be for non-commercial use, so media sites and the like will still have to pay for permission, and they to be posted using an embed code that the site will provide, reports CBC News.
The provided embed code will link the image back to Getty and also credits both the site and the photographer who took the photo in the first place. One must also agree to terms that will let Getty use data about the use of pictures if it wishes, as well as the possibility of advertisements being featured in these pictures in the future.
Businessweek notes the move is more or less Getty Images conceding the fight over bloggers simply saving a copy of their images and then posting the images themselves without permission.
Senior vice president Craig Peters said of the new move: "There are two ways to look at the world. People sharing content without a license is an issue--or it's an opportunity." He admitted that people are going to do it regardless of Getty's scary copyright letters, so might as well provide a more legal method for users and see how it does.
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
