Douglas, and anyone else for that matter:)
Kelly Irvin (Wed, 10 Dec 2003 16:06:17 PST)

Dear Joakim:

I sell a number of flower bulbs for which I don't have a photo to
represent. As a retailer, the old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand
words," really means something. I would so desperately like to have a
picture for every product, because I believe it adds significant impact
to how well the product will sell. This may not have been the case
decades ago, but so many of the well established bulb dealers DO have
pictures, and, I believe, customers are accustomed to deciding on a
product based on being able to see a picture.

I've been photographing like a madman the past year and a quarter, so
people can SEE what I am selling. I have had limited success finding
affordable sources of images, but have found one or two. It's still
frustrating.

For a company to take indiscriminately, without permission, other
peoples' images to promote their products is doing three "naughty"
things. They are using someone else's vested resource without permission
and taking 100% of the profit that the addition of that resource
provided to their income. Two, they are NOT investing their own money or
efforts (legal) into the acquisition of those resources. Three, they are
adding additional credibility to their product from a source that has
not acknowledged their product to be credible.

IBS & PBS are non-profit, but that does not mean they don't need money
to survive. When a for-profit company takes these images without
permission they take a legitimate resource away from a non-profit org.
If IBS or PBS is the original and only source for a particular species
ID via image, this attracts viewers, potentially attracting members,
potentially promoting the survival (and hoped non-profit prosperity) of
the organization. Get a few image pirates out there, then, when someone
wants to do a web search for a particular species image, IBS or PBS is
no longer the only reference. The customer now chooses their link. This
would be all fine and dandy if the other images were unique (choice is
good), or if the org had made some sort of arrangement with the user,
because the org has had a chance to decided how they might benefit from
whatever trade is made, but what happens here is the pirate takes all
the benefit.

Of course, it gets even more complicated when the images actually
originate with groups of people. These people want to share their images
with other members and even the world, but they have chosen to share
them, in agreement with the associated organization, from a particular
source, I would presume besides the aforementioned, to help that
organization attract new members. If a business inquires with the org,
which then inquires with the individual (assuming the org has not
garnered by agreement all rights to the image), and the individual
agrees under whatever terms, then great. Otherwise, the org and
individual have be robbed, even if only in the right of giving permission.

Joakim Erson wrote:

I may have missed it, but I don't believe Douglas made an aggression
toward IBS here.

LONG LIVE LYCORIS!!

--
Mr. Kelly M. Irvin
The Bulbmeister
4407 Town Vu Road
Bentonville, AR 72712
479-685-1339

USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 6b

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