
Sport Diver Seahorse photo competition boondoggle
#1
Posted 13 November 2004 - 06:01 PM
check out: http://www.sportdive...horse_rules.pdf
Look specifically at rule 7.2
Those of you with seahorse pictures beware. Always read the rules. What these rules mean is that regardless of whether you win or not, there is an indefinite period for which your pictures can be used, and practically an unlimited ways they can use them. Making money in this art is hard enough without giving away your hard earned work for free. Consider the cost of your equipment, repairs, money spent on trips and time. It's up to you, but entering these kind of competitions cheapens the industry and gives organizers a free reign of your work, and a practically unlimited source of seahorse pictures.
Just my opinion but worth bringing it to your attention.
Joe
#2
Posted 13 November 2004 - 06:10 PM
7.2. The primary objective of the Photo Competition ”Seahorses of the World” is the acquisition of high-quality photographs of seahorses in their natural habitat, photographs that Organizers can use for both their educational outreach efforts and for scientific study. Therefore, entrants grant the Organizers the full and royalty-free right to print, publish and use worldwide in whatever format all submitted photographs over an undefined period of time. Entrants also agree that their submitted photographs can be reproduced royalty-free by Organizers over an undefined period of time for commercial reasons in PR related documents, packaging, folders, catalogues and similar objects. In all these cases however, the name of the entrant will always be mentioned and reference will be made to the photo competition “Seahorses of the World”. Organizers commit themselves to communicate as many as possible of these actions to the entrant involved. 7.3. Entrants equally grant a royalty-free permission to Sport Diver and World Publications to publish or print submitted photographs in the Sport Diver Magazine, on the website www.sportdiver.com or in its electronic newsletter, in a period of 24 months after the closing date of the competition. In all these cases however, the name of the entrant will always be mentioned and reference to the competition “Seahorses of the World” and its Organizers will be made. 7.4. The submitted photographs will for example be used on a poster, named “Seahorses of the World’. It will serve educational needs and will be used in international mailings. Entrants from whom a photograph is used on the poster, will receive a free copy. No timing though is set on this project.
As project Seahorse is a not-for-profit research and educational entity and they state in the VERY FIRST sentence of the copyright section: "The primary objective of the Photo Competition ”Seahorses of the World” is the acquisition of high-quality photographs of seahorses in their natural habitat, photographs that Organizers can use for both their educational outreach efforts and for scientific study."
That's clearly non-commercial use and I think it's GREAT if people are willing to submit photos.
But Section 7.3 is different - that's commercial use by Sport Diver magazine, and is "not cool" in my opinion.
Cheers
James
Dual Ikelite Strobes
Photo site - www.reefpix.org
#3
Posted 13 November 2004 - 07:04 PM
This is a hard sell, but I will admit that I do give my work to schools for free and I give student interviews, AND fill out lengthy questionaires from them.
Hypocrite (sp) I guess.
Joe
#4
Posted 14 November 2004 - 05:46 AM

Yeah, I think the point here is that the publication gains rights to the images and they are commercial. It would be nice to have confidence that images you donated would go for non-profit use but the magazine wants, at minimum, to advertise what it's doing.
People need to decide if this sort of arrangement is OK with them and its perfectly reasonable to call attention to it. Section 7.3 concerns me regardless of 7.2. Thanks Joe and James.
- Col. John "Hannibal" Smith
------
Nikon, Seatool, Nexus, Inon
My Galleries
#5
Posted 14 November 2004 - 06:37 AM
#6
Posted 14 November 2004 - 09:27 AM
Cheers
James
Dual Ikelite Strobes
Photo site - www.reefpix.org
#7
Posted 15 November 2004 - 02:03 PM
www.marliwakeling.com
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