Techcrunch reports that VCG grabbed the first black hole photo released by the European Southern Observatory and immediately made the image available for sale for either editorial and commercial use without any attribution to the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHT), an array of radio telescopes that captured the black hole image.
European Southern Observatory images are normally available without a fee under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License with the stipulation that “the credit is clear and visible.”
Since the early days of NASA (and maybe before) it has been standard practice for stock agencies to distribute images supplied free by government agencies, and to charge the end users a “service fee” (usually very similar to the normal usage fee) with the understanding that the agency was providing a service of “collecting” the imagery and making it “easily available” for the end user to find.
However, since the introduction of the Internet it has become much easier for user to be aware of, and find, the imagery they need without the help of a stock agency. VCG is getting caught in the crossfire.
VCG apologized on April 12 in a
company statement, admitting the lack of oversight over its contracted contributors who allegedly uploaded the images in question. “We have taken down all non-compliant photos and closed down the site voluntarily for a revamp in accordance with related laws,” said VCG.