Author Topic: iStock petition poll (Read 5598 times)

Microstock Coalition · « **on:** November 10, 2016, 15:41 »

Based on comments here and feedback from many people via PM, phone and email, we'd like to adjust the petition to ask for what most people want from iStock. The poll will run for 2 days and then the adjusted petition goes up on Change.org.

ShadySue · « **Reply #1 on:** November 10, 2016, 16:49 »

I'm guessing that before long, there won't be enough credit sales to be worth crying over.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 11, 2016, 05:27 »

I'm guessing that soon there won't be ANY sales worth crying over. A shame...but Getty's own fault.

panicAttack · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2016, 05:29 »

still no petition for getty?

lemonyellow · « **Reply #4 on:** November 11, 2016, 05:41 »

Quote from: Microstock Coalition on November 10, 2016, 15:41

Based on comments here and feedback from many people via PM, phone and email, we'd like to adjust the petition to ask for what most people want from iStock. The poll will run for 2 days and then the adjusted petition goes up on Change.org.

A petition to ask a private company to change is ridiculous. They can do what they want, and so can we.

I won't sign a petition because I already signed by leaving iStock.
It wasn't even too difficult for me. Sales started to decline when they started to accept everything.

panicAttack · « **Reply #5 on:** November 11, 2016, 05:57 »

Quote from: lemonyellow on November 11, 2016, 05:41

Quote from: Microstock Coalition on November 10, 2016, 15:41
Based on comments here and feedback from many people via PM, phone and email, we'd like to adjust the petition to ask for what most people want from iStock. The poll will run for 2 days and then the adjusted petition goes up on Change.org.

A petition to ask a private company to change is ridiculous. They can do what they want, and so can we.

I won't sign a petition because I already signed by leaving iStock.
It wasn't even too difficult for me. Sales started to decline when they started to accept everything.

all companies, private or public, needs to work by the law.

If usa law allows them to take more then 50% of our earnings, they will.

You know, even private companies need to pay minimum wages (minimum by the law)

maybe we are addressing all those petitions on wrong place

yes, if law doesn't allow them to take cut more then 50%, they can move to other countries... so be it.

lemonyellow · « **Reply #6 on:** November 11, 2016, 08:04 »

Quote from: panicAttack on November 11, 2016, 05:57

Quote from: lemonyellow on November 11, 2016, 05:41
Quote from: Microstock Coalition on November 10, 2016, 15:41
Based on comments here and feedback from many people via PM, phone and email, we'd like to adjust the petition to ask for what most people want from iStock. The poll will run for 2 days and then the adjusted petition goes up on Change.org.

A petition to ask a private company to change is ridiculous. They can do what they want, and so can we.

I won't sign a petition because I already signed by leaving iStock.
It wasn't even too difficult for me. Sales started to decline when they started to accept everything.

all companies, private or public, needs to work by the law.

If usa law allows them to take more then 50% of our earnings, they will.

You know, even private companies need to pay minimum wages (minimum by the law)

maybe we are addressing all those petitions on wrong place

yes, if law doesn't allow them to take cut more then 50%, they can move to other countries... so be it.

Minimum wages are just for employees, unfortunately.

panicAttack · « **Reply #7 on:** November 11, 2016, 09:22 »

Quote from: lemonyellow on November 11, 2016, 08:04

Minimum wages are just for employees, unfortunately.

yes, you are right, unfortunately, but it doesn't have to be like that. That's why I think we are doing petitions in wrong address.

dont' know about USA, but there is a law in my country (I'm sure there is something similar in USA) where if someone borrow money to someone else with interest rate that exceed permitted rate by law or statute is called usurious contract or similar and is illegal.

selling licence for other peoples copyrighted images while cutting 85% of earnings is something that should be illegal.

So, if someone want to say to me: "you can always delete images and quit"

Sure, I can, but employee can also quit when he want to (it's not slavery anymore), but there are still minimum wages in law.

beketoff · « **Reply #8 on:** November 11, 2016, 12:38 »

Although it's been a while since the news about the "2 cents" royalties on iStock came out, it's only now that I realized how pathetic and mockingly the rate itself is. Like in that saying "just my two cents", or that 2 cents are so close to 0 cents (i.e. for free) but still being above zero and hence, be thankful for what we give you. Disgusting.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 11, 2016, 12:59 »

So now you get to put your two cents in.

beketoff · « **Reply #10 on:** November 11, 2016, 16:44 »

Quote from: Shelma1 on November 11, 2016, 12:59

So now you get to put your two cents in.

Already put in all of the initiatives published here so far (petitions, polls). Good luck to all of us!

zsooofija · « **Reply #11 on:** November 12, 2016, 05:01 »

isn't this somehow similar with our situation?
http://www.digitaltrends.com/business/uk-uber-loses-driver-case/

Quote from: panicAttack on November 11, 2016, 09:22

Quote from: lemonyellow on November 11, 2016, 08:04

Minimum wages are just for employees, unfortunately.

yes, you are right, unfortunately, but it doesn't have to be like that. That's why I think we are doing petitions in wrong address.

dont' know about USA, but there is a law in my country (I'm sure there is something similar in USA) where if someone borrow money to someone else with interest rate that exceed permitted rate by law or statute is called usurious contract or similar and is illegal.

selling licence for other peoples copyrighted images while cutting 85% of earnings is something that should be illegal.

So, if someone want to say to me: "you can always delete images and quit"

Sure, I can, but employee can also quit when he want to (it's not slavery anymore), but there are still minimum wages in law.

panicAttack · « **Reply #12 on:** November 12, 2016, 05:22 »

Quote from: zsooofija on November 12, 2016, 05:01

isn't this somehow similar with our situation?
http://www.digitaltrends.com/business/uk-uber-loses-driver-case/

it could happen, it's more complicated with us but for exclusive contributors to one agency it is possible.

lemonyellow · « **Reply #13 on:** November 12, 2016, 06:19 »

Quote from: panicAttack on November 11, 2016, 09:22

Quote from: lemonyellow on November 11, 2016, 08:04

Minimum wages are just for employees, unfortunately.

yes, you are right, unfortunately, but it doesn't have to be like that. That's why I think we are doing petitions in wrong address.

[...]

Yes! All over the world professionals in every field have less protections than employees. Work has changed a lot and we should first petition our governments for better laws. Only then we can force iStock to abide.

SpaceStockFootage · « **Reply #14 on:** November 13, 2016, 23:37 »

The whole concept of freelancing means, or should mean, that we get paid more. Or can charge more, would probably be more accurate. You can pay a freelancer twice as much and still end up paying the same as an employee at half the rate... as you're not having to shell out for healthcare, insurance, sick pay, holidays, training to an extent, pension contributions, Christmas parties, desks, computers etc etc.

If laws were introduced to make people pay these kind of thing's then they'd just end up paying less to cancel out the extra cost.

£100 an hour isn't out of the ordinary for hiring a professional freelance photographer, but if they were an in-house photographer then they'd very rarely get that much.

But anyway, it's all moot as we don't work for stock sites in any way shape or form. I guess it's not outside the realms of possibility that some kind of law could be created that results in a minimum percentage commission for contributors, but minimum wages and benefits... never going to happen.

Pauws99 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 15, 2016, 03:44 »

Quote from: SpaceStockFootage on November 13, 2016, 23:37

The whole concept of freelancing means, or should mean, that we get paid more. Or can charge more, would probably be more accurate. You can pay a freelancer twice as much and still end up paying the same as an employee at half the rate... as you're not having to shell out for healthcare, insurance, sick pay, holidays, training to an extent, pension contributions, Christmas parties, desks, computers etc etc.

If laws were introduced to make people pay these kind of thing's then they'd just end up paying less to cancel out the extra cost.

£100 an hour isn't out of the ordinary for hiring a professional freelance photographer, but if they were an in-house photographer then they'd very rarely get that much.

But anyway, it's all moot as we don't work for stock sites in any way shape or form. I guess it's not outside the realms of possibility that some kind of law could be created that results in a minimum percentage commission for contributors, but minimum wages and benefits... never going to happen.

I just don't see it happening its an issue across all suppliers I guess. I know farmers and the like can be protected (or subsidized) as in the EU but Mstock is global. The companies will just move somewhere that doesn't impose conditions. All we have is the laws of supply and demand which at the moment are not working in our favour.

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We're writing a petition about the new 2 cent iStock royalties. Which would you sign?

Author Topic: iStock petition poll (Read 5598 times)

Microstock Coalition

ShadySue

Shelma1

panicAttack

lemonyellow

panicAttack

lemonyellow

panicAttack

beketoff

Shelma1

beketoff

zsooofija

panicAttack

lemonyellow

SpaceStockFootage

Pauws99

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