Re: PicScout announces Image Registry and licensing affiliate program

Randy Taylor — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:14:44 -0000

PicScout’s Image IRC is similar to the patent-pending technology of The Copyright Registry at www.C-Registry.us. Now that PicScout has entered the registry market, a comparison of services would benefit photographers. Here’s a starting point:

1. Cost
C-Registry.us is free for single images. It costs $25 per year for photographers and agencies who want to bulk upload up to a million image URLs at a time. (No images are uploaded or stored at C-Registry.us, only the fingerprints from submitted URLs.)

2. Reduced License Percent
With C-Registry.us, photographers keep 100% of licensing fees by adding an ecommerce link to whatever website or agency they choose. It’s noteworthy that earlier in 2009, APA very publicly and strenuously objected to the possibility that someday registries might combine image licensing with registration, which PicScout has now announced.

3. Reduced Search through Distributor Sites
C-Registry.us does not offer search of images. It does not want to inadvertently create a database of orphaned works. Buyers must have the image on their hard drive or be at a web site with an image of interest to initiate C-Registry’s unique process to know who owns or represents it.

4. Increased Microstock and RF Sales
Whereas PicScout has focused until now on catching infringers, the mission of C-Registry.us is to counter the effects of orphan works legislation that is evolving globally. Every uncredited, unattributed, altered, stolen image of the three trillion images online can link back to its rightful owner if the image is registered in the C-Registry.us database.

5. Free and Unindexed Images Highlighted
When a buyer or infringer checks to see if an image is registered with C-Registry.us, the image fingerprint is added by default. So, a user never finds an image that’s not already in the database. The unique image recognition technology of C-Registry.us suggests possible owners if an exact match is not found, which makes it very difficult to use C-Registry.us to circumvent copyright laws.

6. Creative Commons Images
C-Registry.us has already registered many millions of images. Its goal is to register all images that have commercial or editorial value, including those of non-professionals. C-Registry believes that protecting professional images is merely a first step since infringers will move to the next available target, like robbing the neighbor’s house if yours is alarmed.

7. Efficiency
Evaluating fingerprints “on the fly” requires a fraction of a second per image, regardless of which process is used. Good software programming will improve that for all registries. C-Registry.us has made many unique improvements to speed and functionality since launching over a year ago.

8. Acceptance
It will be true of all registries that critical mass is ... well, critical. Fortunately for photographers, legitimate registries will all be non-exclusive. Adding images to C-Registry.us can be done by putting simple code on your web site that automatically registers all of your images. It couldn’t be easier.

Summary
Rights holders benefit the most today from registries while statutory damages are still in full force and unaffected by possible orphan works legislation. With new registries joining The Copyright Registry at C-Registry.us in the marketplace, photographers can only win by this expanded pool of service providers.

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Re: PicScout announces Image Registry and licensing affiliate program