MicrostockGroup

Well, all of my people images have been rejected at Dreamstime and Dreamstime only.
Reason:
"The model release document must be printed on paper, filled in and signed with a pen. We don't accept digitally signed model releases as they are not considered good legal documents."

I'm using the iPhone app EasyRelease for handling my releases and it has been accepted by all ms agencies so far, except Dreamstime. What a bummer. Reason enough for me to not submit anything to Dreamstime.


Thought I'd share.

I'm amazed any of the agencies would accept a model/property release without a hand written signature...is that not what makes the contract legal?

thanks for the info.

I have seen that app and it was even touted by Alamy if I remember correctly, but haven't used it for this very reason.  I was afraid an agency wouldn't accept it ... It seems like a great tool, but in reality, when I am standing there in a court room, trying to defend myself in a libel case I would rather have a physical piece of paper that the model, witness and myself signed with an actual pen as apposed to an app on a tiny iPhone screen that everyone signed with their finger.

slightly off topic, but still about releases.  Dreamstime also happens to be the only site (I've found) that won't accept the standard Getty release.

I thought EasyRelease is very common among stock photographers. It is officially accepted by Alamy and Getty but also Fotolia, BigStock, Shutterstock, CanStockPhoto take it without complaining.
I'm not sure if you guys know how it works.

You create a release on your phone (text and logo are edible to your liking), take a picture of the model which will be included in the release, fill in contact information, witness data and have model and witness sign the release (with finger or stylus pen). The you generate a .pdf and/or a .jpg file and send it to you and/or the model by email. Of course you can print, upload, save or do whatever you want to do with it.

I can't understand why Dreamstime won't accept it.

I modified the standard Getty release to replace the language about "laws of countries nearest these cities" with "laws of the United States of America".  Dreamstime has accepted that version without complaint, as have all the other agencies I submit to.

(Since Getty/iStock only provided a PDF of the release, I used Adobe Illustrator to make my changes.  Good to have friends that get me software at employee prices.)

They don't know with certainty, but you warrant that there is when you upload it. If they suspect that the scan has been altered they'll kick it back (in the IS forums there have been a couple of complaints about that happening for releases that hadn't been Photoshopped).

All the agencies have their rules - IS's with specific shoot descriptions and no catch-all releases except for self portraits, for example. It's a bummer that there aren't standards for releases, categories, keywords and a number of other things, but at the moment, that's just the playing field we have to deal with.

Also, if the release is not in English, it must be their version (Russian, Italian, French, etc); not a generic release.

Seems to me that it would be much easier to alter an electronic release if you were so minded than it would be a paper and pen release (ie. dates, names, usage, so on) for less honourable reasons.

They (shutterstock) have accepted all my "easy relaeses" so far (60 in May).