DT's existing free section (on the DT site) has images that by and large I think are substandard. DT (and other sites) have rejected images of mine that I think aren't even close to substandard - at DT the biggest issue is a crackpot similars policy. Perhaps I should rephrase slightly to say that images that would get rejected a the majority of the top and middle tier sites don't represent any competition beyond what's already out there.

I wouldn't want any poor quality image of mine on a free site for just the reason you state, but it doesn't hurt me as a contributor if someone else chooses to do that. I was talking from the point of view of us as a group of contributors and what agency actions hurt us or help, in general. The issue of what helps or hurts an individual contributor is often different.

Thats a very valid point indeed. Because similars are basically of high quality and would have been accepted, without the similars policy, for the RF section. So they now end up as free DLs (if the contributor has the option ticked)...... truly shocking

Morons.  Goes to show none of them care about you/us.

No need for three pages of debate, you just covered the whole topic.

Red diesel is nothing but dye, bad analogy. It's the same as what they sell at the gas station for vehicles.

Or maybe it was a perfect mistake, because the refused images are often identical to the ones for sale, similar rejections, and therefore potential buyers get free useful images, of the highest quality and we lose sales.

Anyone who thinks free images are good, needs to work one day a week, for free, for your employer, to prove how good you are, so they will pay you for the other four days?

Now that's the same as giving away free images!