Apple to Pay Licensing Fees to 'Shot on iPhone' Contest Winners After Artist Complaints

[NovemberWhiskey]

Notice how all the criticism involves how much money apple has.

Do you all complain when stores/restaurants reshare your ig posts? Or is the buzz of social media fame enough?

If I am reading this correctly, winners of the contest will be compensated. Apple caved to the whining for PR. what’s the issue? Issue has been resolved.
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No, it's a marketing / ad campaign that they're calling a "contest" where they wanted a free license to use the pictures in their marketing / advertising material.

Um, apple was very clear that the photos would be used in advertising. That’s why we think you whiners are being ridiculous.

They didn’t lie or deceive people into thinking the photos were just for a “contest” that wouldn’t be shared publicly. The prize of the contest was having your photo used in advertising.

And that’s precisely why so many people entered...same reason they share all their photos for free on IG...vanity and narcissism

“From January 22 to February 7, Apple is looking for outstanding photographs for a Shot on iPhone Challenge. A panel of judges will review worldwide submissions and select 10 winning photos, to be announced in February. The winning photos will be featured on billboards in select cities, Apple retail stores and online.”

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/share-your-best-photos-shot-on-iphone/?1548179821

 

[bladerunner2000]

LOL @ Apple thinking they could pull a fast one and get free work to promote their crippled products.

What's truly disgusting is how some people are actually insulting those that complained about doing free work.

 

[ErikGrim]

It's. *clap* Not. *clap*. A. *clap* Contest. *clap* Without. *clap* A. *clap* Prize.

 

[Roger67]

It’s probably better if contestants aren’t paid for this contest... it lowers the risk people attempting to doctor or stage photos; and extra work for judges to check.

I think the idea of it is that even amateurs can take Pro like photos if you buy our product.

Carrying the all the world's burdens is a challenge even for the world's largest company but it can handle it. It's not as if this is a photo contest sponsored by a condo association, there'd be prizes.

 

[jeremiah256]

Look up "Harlan Ellison - Pay the Writer" on YouTube. Excellent, historical rant, that I'm not going to post here because Mr. Ellison was known to use language salty enough to make a sailor swoon.

Bottom line is, if you respect artists, you pay them. Nothing is free.

 

[Analog Kid]

The problem is that Apple is using these peoples photos for a (much reduced for them) advertising campaign while marketing the submissions as a "contest". They pay the people who come up with their ads and they should be paying the people, out of courtesy, who win this "contest" that will end up profiting the company. Again, this is a nearly trillion dollar company. That amount of money is absolutely absurd. They should be paying them regardless because even millions of dollars to each of the winners would be nothing to them.

You do realize that the trillion dollar valuation is the value of the stock held by their shareholders, right? Apple doesn't have that money, the stock holders do. When the stock price goes up, Apple doesn't have more money. When the stock price goes down, Apple doesn't have less. If you're going to complain about Apple's success, start by making sure you can read and understand a 10K.

Apple does have significant cash reserves, mind you, but they're approximately a year's revenue. Would you stop complaining if they just converted it to cash and held a company bonfire in Apple Park? Should everyone who has saved a year's income do the same?

If they pay professional commission rates for the photos, then the submissions are going to skew towards pros and that's exactly what they don't want. They want pictures from people who took the pictures for the sake of taking the pictures because they want folks like you and me to relate to the images and thus the people who took them and thus the equipment they took them with.

They paid what the market demanded for those photos. Not everyone does everything for money.

 

[macfacts]

Lame contest prize. Licensing fees lol

 

[Roger67]

Just when you thought Apple couldn't be any more money-grubbing.

...and contempt.

 

[smirking]

It’s a contest to get exposure with one of the biggest companies in the world. They’ll get paid with or without Apple lol.

Exposure's not worth the paper it's printed on. There are scores of would be professional photographers who are learning this.

 

[Roger67]

and this missing of the point is the whole problem. if you stumbled around the corner and saw something you had done purely out of passion, the sense of pride, the knowledge that others were looking upon your art, and appreciating... news flash. that is more than enough.

The Olympic ideal. College football and basketball. Volunteering. Just being good.

 

[lah]

As a photographer, I would be honored to win the contest and be featured in their ad campaign. And I would do everything possible to parlay the exposure into further success. Think large folks.

 

[Roger67]

Oh good grief. How ridiculous. All because a handful of pro photographers whined on Twitter.

Contempt.

 

[Analog Kid]

...

First: no prize necessary.
Second: I love how the American examples are beauty and guns and the British example is tennis.
and
Third: what do I get if I win this pissing contest?

 

[mossandfog]

Apple HAS jumped the shark. They'll like go the way of IBM, alive yet far less relevant.

 

[pat500000]

As a photographer, I would be honored to win the contest and be featured in their ad campaign. And I would do everything possible to parlay the exposure into further success. Think large folks.

Tim cook: thank you for the photo. We will make it a great use of it.

Ad: (photo taken by our apple employee...not some person who submitted)

 

[cryptonator]

People should be paid for their work. Apple is obscenely wealthy, I think they'll be okay. They could give each of the 10 winners $1 million each and it would be absolutely nothing to them. People defending this nearly trillion dollar company are gross.

This was a contest which was voluntarily entered into.

Enterents were aware of the terms and conditions.

This was not a paid job.

If you don’t like the “prize” and if you don’t agree with the terms and conditions, don’t enter.

 

[djlythium]

Say what you will, but this is exemplifies the definition of democracy.

 

[Gogeta-Blue]

Tim cook: thank you for the photo. We will make it a great use of it.

Ad: (photo taken by our apple employee...not some person who submitted)

exactly, if apple is not going to compensate the person with “a price” money at least give some credit and recognition to the person that deserved, apple wants all the credit fir themselves, basically when the person submited the picture, apple own all the copyrights like it was them the one who took the picture, at least give credit to the person, the photo wasn’t taken by tim cook

this is exactly why we have the famous first ever eastern egg on a video game, the ones that knows the story know what i’m talking about, also the ones that saw the movie, ready player one understand what i’m trying to say, no credit to the developer and the company gets all the credit, but the developer found a way to put his name on the game, first ever video game eastern egg, why because all these companies do the same thing, take the credit away from the creator so they can get all the credit themselves with their company name on it

 

[allenvanhellen]

Except Apple has done this before and nobody complained. Why is it different this time?

Why wasn’t child labor outlawed as soon as it began?

 

[Glockworkorange]

The next slogan should be: "Customers who have a bent iPad should are encouraged to contact AppleCare"
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You can't buy food with a medal or happy thoughts, takes money for that. I don't work for free, do you?

Are pro photogs really all over this? I just assumed average schmucks that take pictures on vacation (like me) are entering. I also assumed this was an amateur thing, which means people shouldn’t expect to be paid. It’s also a contest, not “work.” Most people in fact will not get paid, even if Apple pays some people.

 

[pat500000]

exactly, if apple is not going to compensate the person with “a price” money at least give some credit and recognition to the person that deserved, apple wants all the credit fir themselves, basically when the person submited the picture, apple own all the copyrights like it was them the one who took the picture, at least give credit to the person, the photo wasn’t taken by tim cook

this is exactly why we have the famous first ever eastern egg on a video game, the ones that knows the story know what i’m talking about, also the ones that saw the movie, ready player one understand what i’m trying to say, no credit to the developer and the company gets all the credit, but the developer found a way to put his name on the game, first ever video game eastern egg, why because all these companies do the same thing, take the credit away from the creator so they can get all the credit themselves with their company name on it

Yup. I’m all about give credit where its due. It’s about being fair...not being exploited by corporations.

 

[simonmet]

No photographer was forced to enter the competition -- professional, amateur, or otherwise. Complaining about the T&C's after submitting their photos is borderline ridiculous.

Complaining maybe, but simply pointing out or highlighting them to potential entrants is not complaining or ridiculous; and I didn’t get the impression anyone doing so had entered at all (did you just assume that?). It was cheap of Apple and another marketing own-goal (even though it’s been going on for a while), hence their decision to backflip and offer something.

Apple marketing should’ve been smart enough to recognise that a prize or fair licensing (or both) would’ve been a really positive campaign; they’re certainly rich enough. Almost every other photography competition does so. Not to mention the standard of entries would’ve gone way up.

Instead, Apple’s behaviour reinforces the narrative that they’re cheap, petty and hostile towards their own customers despite being one of the world’s largest and richest companies; that the law of capitalism dictates they can’t be more generous or conciliatory without being forced or shamed into doing so; that is Tim Cook’s Apple.

 

[BvizioN]

People should be paid for their work. Apple is obscenely wealthy, I think they'll be okay. They could give each of the 10 winners $1 million each and it would be absolutely nothing to them. People defending this nearly trillion dollar company are gross.

Ok, I get it. You snap a photo with your iPhone and dang.... you get a million dollars, because.... it is Apple and they must have enough money to pay! F Noooooo! I would give them exactly how much their work is worth and not a penny more.

 

[Peperino]

No photographer was forced to enter the competition -- professional, amateur, or otherwise. Complaining about the T&C's after submitting their photos is borderline ridiculous.

What is ridiculous is that a multibillion dollar company and Tim Crook, is trying again to rip off artists for the sake of saving on marketing. And it is more pathetic that many people actually are trying to defend that kind of behavior.

 

[midkay]

Hey, that’s cool of them. I don’t think they HAD to do this but I like the principle of it. And I think that’s what it’s about for them.