Weekend Australian Travel Photo Competition

[Dug]

http://www.theweekendaustralian.com.au/photocomp/

I AM EDITING THIS TO READ!!!!!

# Each entrant assigns to the Promoter all copyright and other intellectual property rights in each photo and description sent in as part of an entry in this competition. Each entrant acknowledges that the Promoter, as owner of the copyright in the photographs and descriptions, may reproduce the photographs and descriptions in any media or marketing for any purpose without permission or payment. The entrants agree to waive all their rights, including moral rights, in the photographs entered by the entrants in this competition.

Absolutely NO WAY!

It is just a cheap grab for images rather than paying photographers to take them.

Sorry I put this up but a good example of people ripping off photographers.

Capture Magazine has a section about this every month.

My recommendation do not go near this with a barge pole.

[ozczecho]

The copyright goes to the promoter for ALL entries according to:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/australian/discuss/72057594133986451/

[DStrom]

The copyright goes to the promoter for ALL entries according to:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/australian/discuss/72057594133986451/

the prizes make it tempting but that rules it out for me ...

[Zeeke]

# Each entrant assigns to the Promoter all copyright and other intellectual property rights in each photo and description sent in as part of an entry in this competition. Each entrant acknowledges that the Promoter, as owner of the copyright in the photographs and descriptions, may reproduce the photographs and descriptions in any media or marketing for any purpose without permission or payment. The entrants agree to waive all their rights, including moral rights, in the photographs entered by the entrants in this competition.


Found that in the submission rules

Tim

[Dug]

Then absolutely NO WAY! It is just a cheap grab for images rather than paying photographers to take them.


Sorry I put this up but a good example of people ripping off photographers.

Capture Magazine has a section about this every month.

My recommendation do not go near this with a barge pole.

[radar]

Also,

Entry photographs are not to have been published in any other media anywhere in the world.

If you happen to have posted it on the web, it's out.

Once you submit your photo, then it's not yours anymore, regardless if it wins or not, see the quote from Zeeke above. So if later on you were to post it on these forums, you would be breaching copyright, it belongs to the "Promoters".

Cheers,

André

[nito]

that is the most ^**^%*^@ BULLSHIT I have ever read. Even if you dont win, they own the copyright to your image.

Talk about rip off!

[Nnnnsic]

Geeze, and to think at one point I might have contemplated the thought of pondering an ounce of respect for a News Limited owned media group.

[birddog114]

So, copy from that, from now on, any winning photos of the challenges with my prizes, I can use them?
Big hot manure!, get over it and go away.

No No No No No. I don't trust.

[Matt. K]

This crap has been going down for years. Boycott the competition and how about we dictate a letter of outrage and have all members sign it. Let them know what we think of their cheap, greedy little grab for free advertising material?

[Nnnnsic]

I've got a better idea.

Does The Australian or The Weekend Australian have a letters / ed-op column or page?

I know the Herald does.

[Dug]

I've got a better idea.

Does The Australian or The Weekend Australian have a letters / ed-op column or page?

I know the Herald does.

letters@theaustralian.com.au

ausmag@matp.newsltd.com.au

I think a joint letter to Aus tourism is in order too!

I'll sign a copy, is anyone good at writing these things?


"The minimum original size for digital images is 25Mb RGB TIFF, Preference however would be for the original file size to be a minimum of 100Mb RGB TIFF."

100 Mb Tiff files!!!! Hell what are they expecting to do with these images!!!!!

[Dug]

I just sent this "Feedback " to Australian tourism I would suggest as many as possible send similar enquiries.


http://www.australia.com/footer_element ... ?L=en&C=AU

Myself and a few hundred of my friends on an Australian photographic web community would like to contact the people responsible for the appalling rip off you term a Photographic Competition where copyright is taken from photographers for just entering the so called competition.

Would you be so kind as to supply the names and contact details for the people who thought up and organized this scam so we can discuss this with them in detail please?

Your sincerly Doug Steley

[Manta]

Good move Doug. May not help in the current situation but it may make them think twice next time they come up with such a Draconian concept.

[garyr]

This has just gone to corpaffairs@tourism.australia.com - I won't hold my breath for a response though

Hi there,

I felt compelled to pen this email after reading the terms and conditions for the photo competition (http://www.theweekendaustralian.com.au/photocomp/) that you are associated with.

Section 28 of the conditions reads as follows:
"Each entrant assigns to the Promoter all copyright and other intellectual property rights in each photo and description sent in as part of an entry in this competition. Each entrant acknowledges that the Promoter, as owner of the copyright in the photographs and descriptions, may reproduce the photographs and descriptions in any media or marketing for any purpose without permission or payment. The entrants agree to waive all their rights, including moral rights, in the photographs entered by the entrants in this competition."

The first issue that I have is that this is only described towards the end of the conditions list - I would have expected it to be reasonable to state this condition in a more conspicuous manner. Secondly, this is important, because the assigning of all rights is perceived as a blatant attempt to build a library of stock photos that you would otherwise have to pay for. That they would even go so far as to demand waiving of Moral rights is down-right scary. The implications of these conditions means that there is absolutely no rights at all for the original photographer, even if they are not winners - they may not use the photos for personal use, put them on their wall, or even store them electronically - let alone benefit financially via other means. Check out http://www.copyright.org.au/publications/infosheets.htm if you need to understand what Section 28 means.

The potential prizes are certainly not worth that entry price. This is given a bad rap by the local photographic community and it seems justified. For an Australian company, promoting Australia and Australian business, that you would be associated with this, and that the conditions are so deeply buried in the fine print - well frankly it is un-Australian - your standing with me personally has certainly been affected.

Good luck with the competition - I know that there are thousands of pro's and enthusiasts out there who will not be entering this competition.

Gary

[optogamut]

Argh! Rupert and Newscorp! Fricken evil. But they're probably not the only ones unfortunately. And the prizes aren't even that great.

How about a mass campaign where we take all dud photos we would normally delete and submit them...

[Dug]

Well said !

Come on guys! Get heard send in some complaints so they don't do this sh1t again.

[Dug]

Argh! Rupert and Newscorp! Fricken evil. But they're probably not the only ones unfortunately. And the prizes aren't even that great.

How about a mass campaign where we take all dud photos we would normally delete and submit them...

A photo of my hairy fat arse and guess what the 150 word comment would be

[Sheila Smart]

I have just sent this to the letters email address and also to the editor of the Australian (the Ausmag just bounced back as unknown!):

Your magazine, together with Tourism Australia is running a photographic contest with this condition:

Each entrant assigns to the Promoter all copyright and other intellectual property rights in each photo and description sent in as part of an entry in this competition. Each entrant acknowledges that the Promoter, as owner of the copyright in the photographs and descriptions, may reproduce the photographs and descriptions in any media or marketing for any purpose without permission or payment. The entrants agree to waive all their rights, including moral rights, in the photographs entered by the entrants in this competition.

During my many years of being a photographer, this is the first time I have ever come across such a draconian and unfair (and possibly illegal) condition for a photographic contest. The photographer ALWAYS retains copyright of an image unless transferred to another party in writing. This is an unconscionable way of obtaining images for free from unsuspecting photographers who do not read the small print. This also means that you can onsell the images as you think fit without any attribution or payment to the “winning” photographer.

Your call!

I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for a reply.

Cheers
Sheila

[Matt. K]

I have just sent this to Ausmag

Sir
The conditions and rules set out for those entering your photographic competition is a disgusting and cheap scam. That you would rip the copyright from all the mums and dads and kids entering their photographs is just despicable and those who engineered this competition lack decency and honesty. If all of your staff have the same sense of morality then your company will not be around for long.

(Name and address supplied)

[elffinarts]

This is an appalling use of copyright bullying, I'll be shooting an email off to editor of the Aus when I get to work.

I freelanced for NewsLTD as well and the last effort by them to stiff me of byline, then payment and copyright pissed me right off. I had to organise access into our own pic database to ensure my last supplied pic was a once only permission and that they do not have copyright.

If I wanted to make my images stock material, I'd sell them to a stock library, not enter them into comps with crap prizes.

This new stunt by the Aus comes as no surprise.

[stubbsy]

I have had a response to my letter to Maxwell as I mentioned in the other thread on this matter. See the other thread here for the (good) response