Recently, I asked a Chicago-based picture researcher, who specializes in research for book publishers, if she used microstock, Â since such sites offer extensive image choices for textbooks. She said no, since a big problem was securing rights.
Since microstock is royalty free, I didn't understand - until I examined microstock license agreements.
After a quick look at the Permitted Uses, everything seemed to be covered. The iStockphoto agreement (and the agreements of most other microstock sellers) allows the customer to use images purchased in advertising and promotional projects, including printed materials, product packaging, presentations, film and video presentations, commercials, catalogues, brochures, promotional greeting cards and promotional postcards (ie. not for resale or license); entertainment applications, such as books and book covers, magazines, newspapers, editorials, newsletters, and video, broadcast and theatrical presentations; on-line or electronic publications, including Web pages to a maximum of 800 x 600 pixels; prints, posters (i.e. a hardcopy) and other reproductions for personal use or promotional purposes.
It is hard to see that anything is left out, and books are certainly included.
But then you come to Prohibited Uses and near the bottom of a long list of prohibitions the iStock agreement says customers are not allowed to "either individually or in combination with others, reproduce the Content, or an element of the Content, in excess of 500,000 times without obtaining an Extended License, in which event you shall be required to pay an additional royalty fee equal to US $0.01 for each reproduction which is in excess of 500,000 reproductions. This additional royalty does not apply to advertisements in magazines, newspapers or websites or to broadcast by television, web-cast or theatrical production."
There's the problem for book publishers. Most want the right to print the pictures they purchase in 1,000,000 or more books during the next five to 10 years. According to the language above, the publisher would be paying not $2 or $3 to use an image, but $5,003. Most RM sellers would love to get this much money for use of their images. Given this option, the numbers I suggested in my recent story, "Reasonable Pricing For Textbook Use," seem more than appropriate.
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