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Rugby and Australian Football media restrictions spark protests
The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and a coalition of the world's leading news agencies - including Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press, Reuters and Getty Images - protested against severe restrictions placed on press coverage of this year's Rugby World Cup in France.And in a separate action, WAN and the news agencies also protested to the Australian Football League against its refusal to provide media accreditation to global and foreign news organizations for any games in the 2007 season. The AFL has announced the creation of its own exclusive agency to provide the media with AFL images.
In a letter the coalition told the International Rugby Board (IRB) and the AFL that they would explore their legal options and inform event sponsors of "the very clear loss of exposure from which they will suffer owing to these restrictions."
The IRB has limited publication of World Cup photos through the Internet, including on newspaper web sites, to a maximum of five photos per half and two photos of extra time.
It has also introduced editorial restrictions on how photographs can be used in print publications - banning the common practice of superimposing headlines and captions on photos if they obscure advertising within the images, for example - and has put severe limits on audiovisual content on websites and mobile devices.
The IRB says it needs the restrictions on photos to protect its commercial contracts with licensees who pay for the rights to show the events live. Stefan Hartmann, VISUELL
Posted in: News, Photographers, Stock Photo Companies
