IS exclusive files can only be found at IS...

Once upon a time that was true. Now, you find exclusive content all over the place in the Getty family, and some of the images from Getty (that got there via iStock exclusives' stuff being mirrored) on other sites as "Ocean". Then there's all the Getty wholly owned content (EdStock) and a bunch of material that's marked as iStock exclusive, but (like RubberBall) is sold on their own site, other sites and Getty.

Part of Getty hosing iStock exclusives was breaking the tight link between the site and certain content. While exclusive I was vehemently opposed to exclusives putting their images into the Partner Program - that was an own goal by contributors which helped Getty out. The waters are now so muddy that I don't think there is a clear notion for buyers what that "exclusive" crown really means any more.

If you read the US Patent office's book on trademark basics, I think it will explain why he needs exclusive rights if he wants to trademark his logo.

I agree that packaging is not the same as selling postcards - the primary content of what's being sold is the contents of the package - and so doesn't require an extended license. If he's going over 500K he'll need one for the print run though.

I don't see how he can get a trademark for your image - even altered slightly - in his logo without getting exclusive rights. It's possible he just doesn't understand what a trademark will require. So even if you do a deal with him, the image will have to come down from everywhere else and if it's already been sold, he would have problems (because other licensees of your image could continue to use the image). Perhaps you can do a deal on a unique image that's in the same series as the one he's planning to buy? But if he's looking for a logo for $10, then you should probably just say "no" and avoid wasting more time with someone who's not interested in paying

1099 is an IRS report from US companies to those paid money other than wages. iStock doesn't provide a 1099 as it's not a US company.

Did they ban SM too? I didn't know that. Did they ban SM because of some forum postings at the same time or later? What was the reason for banning SM?

Not sure if the question was directed at me, but I am not banned from site mail. I just have had site-mails to and from Lobo from around the time of my forum ban removed. I have site mails from way before and after that time, so it's not any sort of automatic cull of old site mails.

...I've always shot realistic models in real life situations, but Yuri, Monkeybusiness, etc. outsell me by a wide margin, so obviously there's a great demand for what they do.

Depending on what your goals and financial needs are, there's nothing wrong with filling niches with solid, but not huge, demand. Yuri & Monkeybusiness may outsell Lisa, but there's still a solid and arguably longer-term demand for the closer to real life work that Lisa does. Trends and fads change pretty quickly, but the work Lisa does will probably stay relevant for much longer.

My stuff is in a lower demand area than Lisa's, but it still sells and it's also for the most part long-lived (no fashion, not much technology, few quirky/fadish processing techniques).

...Also, on at least two CR replies I've had recently, it's suggested that I should post my question in the forums, which are 'a wonderful source of information', even though I can't.   (Yeah, I know, it's that cookie-cutter response choice again.)

On Friday I decided I'd open a support ticket to ask about my forum ban. It was for one sarcastic (no profanity; no rudeness to any individual) post in early September 2011 and Lobo site mailed me that I should take a little break from the forums. The support ticket asked if my ban was in fact permanent, and if not, when would I get my forum privileges back.

It'll be interesting to see what, if any, response I get. It's not that I have any current intention to post in their forums, but there might come a day when I need or want to.

For what it's worth, all Lobo's site mails to me from around that time, and my messages sent to him, are gone from my iStock site mail. I'm assuming he deleted them as they weren't polite or professional (on his part). Don't ever assume site mail is private or permanent (i.e. take screen shots of anything you need to keep track of).

You don't say anything about your portfolio - size, age - or what you've been seeing in the past for sales. I've been seeing reasonably consistent sales at 123rf for many months with about 1700 images all uploaded since last summer.

Many changes in how search results are displayed occur - I don't track what's going on at 123rf, but if, for example, you have a relatively new portfolio and they skew the search towards older or best selling files, you could see sales tank as a result. Smaller the portfolio, the harder it is to see trends.

iStock and SS are, for me, where the big bucks are coming from. Fotolia wouldn't have me back (long story that's all in this forum somewhere) so I don't have any current experience with them, but there are lots of disenchanted gold and emerald contributors as FT has been playing some of the same games as iStock.

I keep hoping that Veer will get some volume going, but so far it's been pretty slow (and their 50 a week upload limit really slows down getting a portfolio uploaded). Their subscriptions (introduced a few months ago) appear to be all but dead, but the royalties on regular sales are very reasonable.

123rf has been good, but they've announced that starting in January they'll have a system just like iStock's RCs (with a few twists so that it's a rolling average, changing month by month versus getting set for 12 months at a time). They've tried some rather sad spin as to how this will be better for us, but it's really just another cash grab by a greedy agency, IMO.

I'd give BigStock a miss - the sales just aren't there for new work (some people who are getting decent sales have said here that it's mainly older stuff that's selling). I'd love to see something happening at StockFresh, but again, sales aren't there so I'd wait until you see posts here about how sales are picking up before you add them to your list.

CanStock is a nice company and the uploading is easy and fast. Sales are very slow but the ones through their parent company which come through periodically are much higher earnings, so they might be worth your while. I don't do DepositPhotos because their prices and commissions are too low, IMO. They offer people special deals and placement, but as they keep offering that, it would seem to dilute the value to past contributors - we can't all be getting special placement.

Good luck with the transition. I agree that it's work, but having dropped exclusivity in early June 2011, I still think I made the right decision - many exclusives are seeing drops in April 2012 vs. April 2011 but I saw an increase. Impossible to say what it would have been had I stayed, but ...

the clean, models, acting stuff is something i'm annoyed to aswel, more and more web clients ask me to come up with photos of real stuff, real people and such, but why are the Yuri arcurs of this world so successful? i do respect he's work and i realy love it, but for use i think its way TO clean, to white, to plastic.

I think that sales experience shows that while people say they want "real" - people, settings, props - they want something more like the ideal of what we'd like to be than what most people truly are, day to day. I admire Yuri's skill and success, but I find it very "plastic fantastic". You will find a market for more down to earth stuff, but I think it's somewhat smaller that that for the idealized work.

As an example, I have a shot of my teenage son's bedroom that sells quite well - as a messy teen bedroom. I shot that after I cleaned it up one day (worried that too much ugly stuff was growing in the mess) - in other words, that isn't really how he lives! I also have one of my home office, also looking artfully "messy" after I cleaned it up a lot. I find it used most as the "before" shot for businesses that help people clean up home offices

If you can strike the right balance between real and idealized/fake, you'll do well.

Welcome aboard, proimage. Don't worry about being laid back, it won't be long before the micros' behaviour turns you into a crusty, cantankerous, objectionable old git like the rest of us. 

I'll have you know that I was crusty and cantankerous well before the micro agencies got their teeth into me!