Having spent several hours reading through postings on here and Lev's superb article, the one thing that really stands-out is the difference in rules regarding release forms and when they are required.

It seems that here in the UK, we are pretty open with regards to the fact that we can, when standing in a public place, take a photograph of anyone or anything we want, and use it for any purpose whatsoever without the need to complete any forms.

However, if we pose any person within the picture, or we stand on private property, then release forms need to be filled & signed.

As the majority of microstock sites are US-based, we have to adhere to US rules which seem to be a 'forms for all occasions' approach. Maybe it is time for a worldwide standard set of rules based on common sense.

It is actually becoming the norm for sites to require ID. Ebay now require it for new users, and almost all online betting companies do too.
The only problem I can see is that here in the UK, unlike the US, photo-licenses only came into being just over 10 years ago, so a lot of people (myself included) still have paper ones (without photos on). Also, what about those of us without passports?.