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Getty Images signs deal with QOC

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Getty Images has signed a deal with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to create a bespoke digital archive system for the QOC’s heritage assets. Getty Images will partner with digital video systems designer EVS to build the archive management system, which will host videos, tapes, DVDs, photos and documents dating from 1979.

Getty Images’ web-based asset management service, Media Manager, will host the QOC’s photo and documental assets, while EVS will construct a Media Archive Director video system to ingest, manage and deliver all video content.

As part of the deal, Getty Images will also share best practice with the QOC photo team on capturing imagery at sports events and official appointments.

“Creating and managing content is the DNA of Getty Images,” says Lee Martin, Senior Vice President EMEA, Getty Images. “So we are delighted to provide this content solution for Qatar Olympic Committee, helping them ensure the preservation and longevity of their assets.”

H.E. Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Qatar Olympic Committee Secretary General adds, “We know Getty Images to be a world leader in the content space, and see this collaboration as a way to help transfer knowledge to all QOC staff and secure the legacy and heritage of QOC’s assets for future generations.”

Benoit Février, Senior Vice President Media of EVS concludes, “Our integrated media archive management solutions are designed to offer full mastering over media workflows from ingest to delivery, guaranteeing the highest level of security, flexibility and video content accessibility. We are proud to partner with Getty Images to provide our technology and expertise to meet the Qatar Olympic Committee’s requirements.”

Getty Images sues Microsoft over ‘Bing’ photo tool

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Getty Images Inc has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft over a new feature of its Bing search engine, Bing Image Widget, calling it a ‘massive infringement’ of copyright images. Getty Images has long fought against the use of its archive of 80 million images, earning a reputation as an aggressive defender of copyright. Earlier this year, Getty created a new way to approach this, releasing code that made it easier for website owners to embed many of its images on their own sites as long as the use was not commercial and the images were attributed to Getty.

Microsoft’s Bing service, which was launched on August 22, offers a similar embedding service, where pictures found on its images search engine can be added to a website with just a click. However, unlike Getty, the Microsoft feature doesn’t forbid the commercial use of the images and does not enforce that websites show the original source of pictures, adding the Bing name instead. Notably, Microsoft does not have the authority to hand legal rights to the unlicensed images it takes from the web, leaving users vulnerable to legal attacks themselves.

Getty Images is asking for the blocking of the Bing Image Widget as soon as possible, in addition to financial compensation for ‘incalculable’ damages.

Getty Images expands UAE sports photography team

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Getty Images has announced the addition of two new sport photographers to its Dubai office, as the company looks to expand its offering of premium sport coverage and assignment work in the Middle East.

Award-winning photographer Warren Little joins from the London office, where he has been based for the past 14 years. Specialising in golf and rugby, Warren has represented Getty Images at some of the world’s biggest sporting events including the British Open, European Tour, the Rugby World Cup and at summer and winter Olympic Games. He has also worked on assignment for some of the biggest global brands including Nike, Adidas, Dunhill and Guinness and was awarded first prize in Sports Feature at the Press Photographer’s Year.

Francois Nel joins Getty Images from Gulf News, the largest English language newspaper in the Middle East, where he has been covering all the major events in Dubai for the past five year as a staff photographer. Previous to that he worked as a sport and news photographer at Die Burger Newspaper in Cape Town, in his home country of South Africa.

“It is a really exciting time for sport in the Middle East,” says Lee Martin, SVP Global Sports Business, Getty Images. “Some of the world’s major events are already held here and with the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the focus on sport is only going to intensify. As the world leader in sport photography, we already service this region with best-in-class coverage of its sporting events, which we then distribute globally. Warren Little and Francois Nel are both exceptional professionals and will be huge assets to Getty Images Middle East as we further expand our services in the region.”

As the official photographic partner to the IOC, Getty Images will be sending a team of 80 specialist sport professionals to cover the Sochi Winter Olympics.  In addition to covering Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Sochi, Getty Images will cover all 16 featured sports and will capture moments from every medal event, uploading more than 2,000 images per day to gettyimages.com.