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GETTY OUTLINES NEW PHOTOGRAPHER CONTRACT
February 1, 2001
Getty has provided their photographers with an outline of features in a new
streamlined cross brand contract. They expect to release the entire contract
sometime in the next two months.
The brands effected are Stone, The Image Bank, and VCG (FPG, TCL, Pix and Bavaria).
The new contract puts VCG and TIB photographers on equal footing with those at
Stone.
The signers of the letter said, "Our intent is simple: to work in a straightforward
manner with you, and to compensate you fairly for your high quality images." The
letter was signed by: Anthony Harris, Peggy Willett and Roger Ressmeyer.
Highlights of the New Agreement
The agreement is designed to achieve consistency, equity, opportunity, and
flexibility: All commercial (non editorial) photographers will receive the same
general contract - a "master agreement" covering the same terms and conditions for
all brands.
Each photographer will also receive an addendum that defines their primary
brand - the brand to which they are currently contracted.
Additional addenda may be offered for other Getty Images brands, now and in
the future, based on a photographer's style, interests and creativity. The options
may include additional Rights-Protected (RP) commercial and editorial brands, as
well as consumer and Royalty Free distribution channels.
Each photographer can exercise control over how their images are marketed:
Royalty rates among all Getty Images commercial brands will be consistent:
TIB artists will have a larger home territory, increasing their royalties:
- All currently contracted TIB photographers whose home territory is currently
defined as the tri-state area, will have their home territory extended to the whole
of North America under the new agreement.
- Going forward, new photographers who sign to TIB will sign to their home
country's territory, in line with other RP brands.
Photographers will control the length of contract:
- Photographers may choose a two-year, three-year or four-year contract
period.
More photographer freedom in the imagery marketplace:
- Our change from photographer-exclusive to image-exclusive
relationships for all RP commercial brands allows photographers to more easily
market declined images elsewhere, provided they aren't similar to their images in
our collections.
- Only Getty Images' art-directed images, and those created with our
confidential information, need to be reviewed first by Getty Images before offering
them elsewhere.
- The new contract does not prohibit the licensing of images to any specific
agencies.
Faster payment, reduced bad debt risk,
Faster payments - no later than 120 days after a license, rather than when we
get paid.
Protection from bad debt - Getty Images assumes all customer bad debt
risk.
Catalog fee improvements:
- Flat, capped catalog fees, providing more ability for you to plan for such
expenses.
- Catalog charges will be recouped from specific image sales, not general
earnings.
- If an image selected for a catalog does not sell, the artist pays no fee of
any kind.