How the anti-copyright lobby makes big business richer

[markfh]

Very intersting article with some very good points. This is an article that although written by a professional photojournalist has implications for all who want to sell their work.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12...and_copyright/

[kenw]

I smell more sour grapes than anything else. If time-to-market was his only value, then he deserves to be replaced by a snot-nosed kid with a cell-phone camera. If he makes his living selling stock that now goes for $1, then he needs to expand his little world.

Just exclaiming "I am a professional photographer" doesn't guarantee him a spot on the gainfully-employed roster. Welcome to life, bucky. If you can't make a living at something, best try something else......pride doesn't pay the mortgage.

I once knew more than almost anyone in the world about the manufacture of 8" single-sided floppy disk drives. I adapted. I'm doing fine. In fact, better.

[markfh]

I can't comment on his ability as a photographer or photojournalist since I don't know him or his work. I think his points about the copyright issue has merit as well as the effects of the Internet economy as he puts it.

I just wonder if he's ever used pirated software because buying it was too expensive or shopped at Walmart or on the Internet because the prices there were cheaper than at the Mom and Pop down the street.

[PeteQ]

Originally Posted by kenw

I smell more sour grapes than anything else. If time-to-market was his only value, then he deserves to be replaced by a snot-nosed kid with a cell-phone camera. If he makes his living selling stock that now goes for $1, then he needs to expand his little world.

Just exclaiming "I am a professional photographer" doesn't guarantee him a spot on the gainfully-employed roster. Welcome to life, bucky. If you can't make a living at something, best try something else......pride doesn't pay the mortgage.

I didn't read it that way. I read it as the throngs of people out there are now happy to give away what was once valuable images for nothing more than their name on a credit line. If you had exclusive images of an event of historic proportions would you give it away for nothing? People do. Just read what you give away when you upload your picture to CNN, etc. I think this is more of a situation of the media capitalizng and growing their bottom line at the expense of uninformed photographers....

Originally Posted by markfh

I just wonder if he's ever used pirated software because buying it was too expensive or shopped at Walmart or on the Internet because the prices there were cheaper than at the Mom and Pop down the street.

Where did that come from? Why are you taking a shot at his integrity? And the Wal-Mart comparison hardly fits. Price a 1/4 page web use image in an industry standard pricing guide then compare that to "free for a byline" and see if the Wal-Mart discount is accurate.

I think it's interesting that many folks poo-poo the copyright thing and think that pros are just monaing about nothing until it's one of THEIR images that gets used somewhere without permission and then it's a whole different story.....

Copyrights are important. If you don't value your work, no one else will either.

[kenw]

I'm not poo-pooing the copyright idea, it is in fact the one thing that allows us little folk to compete.

What I complain about is his assumption that he, by nature of "being professional" has some sort of inalienable right to make a living at something that a free market won't support.

Let's drift off into Economics 101 for a bit:

Low supply and high demand causes prices to rise until the market price is established. Market price is determined by the seller willing to part with his product for whatever is offered by the buyer. and/or/vis-versa.

If the market supports paying him (he's got an exclusive; aka "low supply" and the story is big, aka "high Demand") he'll get paid what the market will bear.

In today's PJ market, the supply is incredibly huge, while the demand is shrinking or at best growing at a slower rate than supply.

econ101 tells us the market price will approach $0. (Sounds to me like it already has!)

The market price now includes exposure or "free byline" instead of $$. And if people are willing to play at this particular market price, well, that's the market price. All of those "other" sellers aren't wanting to sell for free forever, all they are doing is some price-based marketing. Once they get known and can get paid, they will. But 1st they need to be noticed in a very crowded field.

Lotsa folks do it: buy one, get one free. Free to the 1st 50 visitors. Happy hour......

his reaction should be to find a way to increase demand for his product since he cannot control supply. He can do that by making more of a name for himself; a famous shot (yes, perhaps sold gratis) can create future demand.

or he can rant and rave and become known as a lunatic, commit suicide and let his heirs cash in.......

[PeteQ]

Originally Posted by kenw

All of those "other" sellers aren't wanting to sell for free forever, all they are doing is some price-based marketing.

They are hardly doing marketing. They were in the right place at the right time, kudos to them, now they should be smart and get paid what a breaking exclusive image is worth, not just a byline. Their ignorance and the romanticism of seeing their name on a byline clouds their judgement. They are convinced their image is worth only that by a fast talking media conglomerate that will sell millions in advertising around their image. They'll likely never be in a better position than that one time, ask folks who do it for a living, and they'll likely never get another call.

Originally Posted by kenw

or he can rant and rave and become known as a lunatic, commit suicide and let his heirs cash in.......

Well that is just an ignorant statement that tell me the level of where the discussion is headed.

Good luck trying to raise your rates with a client that you have given stuff for free to several times.

Again, it's up to you to value your work. If you don't no one else will either. The pj world is tough and I'm glad I don't have to compete there constantly.

[kenw]

i give up.

[markfh]

Originally Posted by PeteQ

Where did that come from? Why are you taking a shot at his integrity? And the Wal-Mart comparison hardly fits. Price a 1/4 page web use image in an industry standard pricing guide then compare that to "free for a byline" and see if the Wal-Mart discount is accurate.

I think it's interesting that many folks poo-poo the copyright thing and think that pros are just monaing about nothing until it's one of THEIR images that gets used somewhere without permission and then it's a whole different story.....

Copyrights are important. If you don't value your work, no one else will either.

I wasn't taking a shot at his integrity. I was merely pointing out that some people that complain about their value in the market place dropping because of what others do in attempting to get the lowest price (economics 101) for the product that they want. They're usually guilty of the very thing they complain about when it comes to services and products that they want. Software piracy is one area that I find almost everywhere I've worked and with people that I would have thought wouldn't have.

Having dealt with "professionals" for the last 30 years I've found they are more inclined to steal by way of using pirated software than others. Therefore depriving the producers of the software of the market value of their product.

The Walmart comparison is exactly on target. Look right here on this forum and others like it at the number of people that shop for the lowest price on just about anything then complain about some photographers pricing being so low that they have a hard time competing at the price they feel their time, effort, and product is worth.

You can compare the industry standard pricing all you want but if the big companies can get the picture for free, even though the quality isn't as good, they will. It enhances their bottom line. That hurts the professional photojournalist as illustrated by this article and others.

Trust me, in my business I'd love to have the margins we used to have selling computer hardware but that's just not going to happen. I'd also love to have tons more hosting clients than I have but I'm unwilling to compete on price alone. Thus my client base is smaller and I can service them better. There's a tradeoff there for them and us.

If you aske me about where I buy I usually buy local from smaller companies when the price difference is marginal just for the added service. If I buy off the Internet I don't look for the absolute bottom line price I find, for the obvious reasons.

And I don't shop at Walmart if I can at all avoid it but have from time to time.