The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) has received $170,000 from the Authors Coalition of America (ACA), an organization which distributes money collected for copying non-title-specific works abroad, primarily in Scandinavia and Europe. Non-title-specific works are those that cannot be identified individually or by copyright owner.
Distributions are made periodically to ASMP and other visual arts organizations on the basis of an established formula, and funds are designated for use solely in industry education and advocacy. According to ASMP President James Cavanaugh, "We are pleased to be able to utilize these funds to develop and support many educational undertakings and advocacy initiatives which are of significant benefit to the photographic community."
ASMP's Executive Director Eugene Mopsik stated, "Through the funding received from ACA, ASMP has been able to develop many important programs and offer numerous online resources which are available free of charge to the visual arts community." Examples of the programs and projects which ASMP has developed through these funds are:
Strictly Business 3, the acclaimed photography business education series;
Registration ©ounts, which creates awareness of copyright issues and encourages photographers and other visual artists to register their work; and
dpBestflow, the latest in digital imaging best practices offered by ASMP in conjunction with the Library of Congress through its National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program, and Student & Emerging Photographer Business Education.
ASMP has provided significant ongoing support to the following: the Picture Licensing Universal System (
PLUS) Registry, a resource to provide unique searchable identifiers and image recognition to determine an image creator's name, contact information and usage rights;
Young Photographers Alliance (YPA) as a Major Founding Sponsor to set up mentoring and internship programs for student and emerging photographers;
Eddie Adams Workshop Barnstorm, in which 100 photography students participate in an intense four-day gathering of top photojournalism professionals;
George Eastman House, an independent nonprofit museum and educational institution that tells the story of photography and motion pictures; and
W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund award to a photojournalist of exceptional talent, integrity and dedication. For more information on ASMP's uses of ACA funds to benefit the industry, go
here.
ASMP is the premier trade association for photographers, providing members with all the tools, information and support needed to run successful photography businesses. Over 7,000 strong with chapters throughout the country, ASMP members are recognized as a community of forward-thinking professionals.