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I’ve been a pro photographer for over 30 years and Getty has stolen my work and countless others. I was one of a coalition of photographers who pooled resources

I’ve been a pro photographer for over 30 years and Getty has stolen my work and countless others. I was one of a coalition of photographers who pooled resources and won substantial damages.(my work was all registered with the library of congress which raises the liability cost for infringement) Getty’s strategy at the time appeared to be to meet any infringement accusations with a massive legal response. Any individual photographer could generally not afford to respond. My impression was that they were not super concerned about infringing on other’s work. But they will sue the pants off anyone who they perceived to be violating their copyrights. But in recent years there are legal firms dedicated to pursuing deep pocket infringement cases on contingency. This has changed the legal calculus for large companies who were not careful with copyright.

wombat_trouble 4y ago
If Getty wins this one, you win as a photographer. If they lose, you lose. They might be a shitty company, but in this instance, your interests align...
- ronsor 4y ago
  That assumes parent cares about AI training, which they may not. If you wanted to release your work freely, Getty could still get in the way.
  - LegitShady 4y ago
    why would anyone pay for their photography if an ai can generate it for pennies on the dollar?
- Ukv 4y ago
  In the event that Getty Images wins, it seems most likely that AI researchers would pay Shutterstock/Getty Images for their large existing catalogs of images. With the companies having a stronger position (getting to act as a gatekeeper to this kind of machine learning) and artists still a weaker one, I wouldn't hold out hope for them passing anything on.
blantonl 4y ago
Getty’s strategy at the time appeared to be to meet any infringement accusations with a massive legal response. I'm surprised at this in your case because typically copyright infringement cases are massively weighted in favor of the copyright owner (defined damages AND reimbursement of legal fees). I know this because I'm currently a defendant in a copyright lawsuit.
- scotty79 4y ago
  I think it mostly depends on the size of the pockets of both sides.
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wombat_trouble 4y ago

If Getty wins this one, you win as a photographer. If they lose, you lose. They might be a shitty company, but in this instance, your interests align...

ronsor 4y ago
That assumes parent cares about AI training, which they may not. If you wanted to release your work freely, Getty could still get in the way.
- LegitShady 4y ago
  why would anyone pay for their photography if an ai can generate it for pennies on the dollar?
Ukv 4y ago
In the event that Getty Images wins, it seems most likely that AI researchers would pay Shutterstock/Getty Images for their large existing catalogs of images. With the companies having a stronger position (getting to act as a gatekeeper to this kind of machine learning) and artists still a weaker one, I wouldn't hold out hope for them passing anything on.

blantonl 4y ago

Getty’s strategy at the time appeared to be to meet any infringement accusations with a massive legal response. I'm surprised at this in your case because typically copyright infringement cases are massively weighted in favor of the copyright owner (defined damages AND reimbursement of legal fees). I know this because I'm currently a defendant in a copyright lawsuit.

scotty79 4y ago
I think it mostly depends on the size of the pockets of both sides.

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