iStockPhoto Offers Copyright Liability Insurance
Stock photography wholesaler iStockPhoto has a new gimmick in its bid to provide the web with a source of affordable decoration: lawsuit immunity. That’s right, any stock photo you purchase will come with guaranteed protection of $10,000 against intellectual property disputes. So you can buy photos from iStockPhoto for $1-$27 per photo, use them according to the terms of use, and be protected from litigation:
iStock is about to offer a new “Legal Guarantee” on its entire collection. On Sept. 16, any video, image or audio file purchased and USED CORRECTLY by the customer, will automatically be guaranteed against any copyright or moral right, trademark and other intellectual property dispute, up to $10,000. Although common for traditional stock houses, a legal guarantee has not been standard in microstock because of the low prices.
Although these situations have always been extremely rare at iStock, if a client really needs added insurance, an Extended Legal Guarantee up to $250,000 in coverage can be purchased for 100 credits.
As the CNET article mentions, a credit will cost around $1-$1.50. The caveat here is that you must carefully follow the license terms, which are complex. For example, for use on the web, you are restricted to a maximum resolution of archaic 800×600 and in a single location (webpage). For items you wish to resell in any way, purchasing an extended license for 125-150 credits is necessary.
For more information, please see CrunchBase’s iStock Photo entry!
Iran’s Photoshopped Missiles
This is hilarious; Iran has apparently photoshopped an extra missile into the photograph they released to the press about their recent missile test:
As news spread across the world of Iran’s provocative missile tests, so did an image of four missiles heading skyward in unison. Unfortunately, it appeared to contain one too many missiles, a point that had not emerged before the photo was used on the front pages of The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, The Chicago Tribune and several other newspapers as well as on BBC News, MSNBC, Yahoo! News, NYTimes.com and many other major news Web sites.
This is the image that ran in the papers and has recently been retracted for being “apparently digitally altered” by Iranian state media. Agence France-Presse said the fourth missile “has apparently been added in digital retouch to cover a grounded missile that may have failed during the test.” Here I’ve blown up a portion of the smoke so you can clearly see the ’shop:
Las Vegas Photos
I recently went on a short weekend vacation in Las Vegas, and while I was there I took a few photos for you to enjoy. Here are the ones that came out best, the highlights as I’d like to call them. You can download high resolution versions from Flickr, if you like.
The Mirage casino, advertising the Cirque du Soleil “The Beatles Love” show.
Circus Circus’ high flying trapeze act, visible from the gaming floor!
The Ibis was spotted at the Flamingo, trying hard to blend in.
The Flamingo, as seen reflected off the inner courtyard, which has very shiny windows.
My girlfriend, Wendy, got the 007 reference and made the appropriate and cute action for this shot of Casino Royale!
Wendy and her mother posing in front of a shopping center fountain.
A beautiful sculpture/fountain at Caesar’s Palace.
High-voltage power lines fanning out from Hoover Dam.
Las Vegas isn’t France, but Paris Las Vegas has an Eiffel Tower replica.
A gaming table at Circus Circus.
Wendy’s Uncle and I at the Flamingo courtyard.
Some Joshua Tree near the Grand Canyon.
Hoover Dam and Lake Meade; it’s amazing how far the water level has fallen (the white marks) since it was created.
Wendy at the Grand Canyon west rim.
We went on the skywalk here, an interesting experience given that I’m terrified of heights–but Wendy loved it.
