Freelance, Footloose

Via Arts Community, Singapore, "Things You Need to Know About Rights-Grab Photo Contests" --- Filipino photographer Dennis S. Rito writes about image rights and photography competitions. He's writing about the Philippine situation, of course, but I think his warnings are relevant to the Singapore context as well:

It seem that contest photo organizers/ sponsors had found a 'cheap and economical way' to 'harvest' a great deal of creative work, usually images for absolutley nothing - a library of FREE images. These are rampant nowadays not just in the Philippines (from private companies to government agencies) but even abroad. A clever ploy targetting photographers especially the amateurs who are naive and do not understand their rights and the potential value of their work.

See also his post about the fine print that secures many different kinds of rights in competitions and online services (including Google's blanket statement that would also apply to Freelance, Footloose!).

Labels: Copyright, Photography