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(Image: Joe Snyder, Wired)

In a bold move, Wired will be releasing images shot by their photographers via Creative Commons. With proper attribution, these photos now can be used widely and Wired has already released 50 images along with the announcement, including the photo above.
 
Joshua Benton at Nieman Journalism Lab argues two very interesting points about the release of the photos:

1. While it’s an altruistic move, there is a strong business model behind it. Wired requires a link back to the original story that included the photos,  which will drive traffic to Wired’s site and optimize search.

2. Allowing the photos’ use under Creative Commons brings up a number of questions about commercial use. Rules around creative use are murky, and while Wired is clear about how they will allow the images to be used, it’s not clear that users will have the same parameters in mind. Benton asks, “Does ‘noncommercial’ mean not-for-profit? The absence of ads? Or simply that you’re not selling the work someone else is giving away?” Finding universal answers to these questions is difficult.

Read the full article, “Wired releases images via Creative Commons, but reopens a debate on what “noncommercial” means,” on Nieman Journalism Lab.

Posted 3 months ago — 602 notes