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Getty Images closes citizen journalism photo agency Scoopt
Getty Images (NYSE: GYI) has announced that it is closing Scoopt, a citizen journalism photo agency based in Glasgow, acquired in March 2007. Molly McWhinnie, a Getty Images spokeswoman, explains the decision “We definitely believe there is a demand for this type of material as an editorial product but there are so many other avenues out there right now for citizen photo journalists.” The company has stated plans to keep the website Scoopt.com active until March 6 but the business will stop accepting new content from February 6.
In a message to members on the Scoopt.com website, the “Scoopt team” said rights to all the photos uploaded to the site would revert to the copyright holders when the galleries are shut down next month
It appears that the company had high hopes for the business but appears to have difficulty uniting Scoopt’s content into the Getty Images brand. “While this genre will never replace the award-winning photojournalism for which we’re known, it’s a highly complementary offering that enables us to meet the evolving imagery needs of a broad customer base. Stated Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images after acquiring Scoopt.”
In another move towards monetizing consumer imagery Getty Images last year announced an agreement with Yahoo!-owned Flickr to feature selected photographs from Flickr on the Getty Images platform.
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