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Agency Based Discussion => Alamy.com => Topic started by: Mimages on November 16, 2018, 06:02

Title: Unreported image uses
Post by: Mimages on November 16, 2018, 06:02
As a long-time Alamy contributor, I make regular sales and often find my images used on websites. However, a huge number of those uses are not declared so I need to write to CR to chase them up. The problem seems to be worse and worse, with distributors in particular. Also with newspapers, the number of unreported uses is staggering.

The reason for my post is to ask others who know Alamy well and are regular sellers, how often they search for their image uses on the web. Are you surprised just how many you find that have not been declared? I am of course talking about after the 3 months wait for direct sales and 4 months for distributors and live news. I find a certain newspaper the worst culprit, particularly for live news images, but I have found my images infringed many times by other newspapers too, both news and stock. The more people that chase these uses, the more chance of the system improving at some point. I have been told for YEARS that new systems are being put in place, but so far nothing has changed.

It is an industry-wide problem, but I am asking specifically about Alamy as I am not experienced enough with other agencies to comment. I accept though that contributors to other agencies are likely to have the same problem.
Title: Re: Unreported image uses
Post by: ShadySue on November 16, 2018, 10:04
The worst of it is that not only do Alamy not penalise "trusted" buyers for not reporting uses/re-uses, but they don't charge then what they should have paid at the time, but the current price, which IME at least is always lower. So there's no incentive for them to be honest.

Of course, Alamy has been nobbled by micro editorial, but that shouldn't affect Live News.
Title: Re: Unreported image uses
Post by: Mimages on November 16, 2018, 10:12
I agree, they could have a system in place to penalise these buyers, as an incentive. I know that one of the problems is that they don't want to do anything that may push a large client away, and I do understand that. The point has to come though where they have to change the way things are done. I certainly don't want them to lose the largest culprit of non-reporting, as they are part of a larger group that make up a very large percentage of my sales.

You're right that they charge the price at the time, not what it was when the use happened. That isn't always lower but it may well be. Especially with live news, the price is higher and swings up and down by larger amounts that do make a real difference to fees.