With the following Tweet today, Jeffrey Zeldman started a very good twitter conversation about Flickr, commericial/retail photo usage, and copyright/licensing/creative commons:
As a photographer I now have to choose whether to prevent people from using my photos, or prevent Yahoo from selling them.
— Jeffrey Zeldman (@zeldman) November 29, 2014
Andy Budd then linked to Zeldman’s blog post, What’s Wrong With This Picture? Flickr is about to sell off your Creative Commons photos, and started another good conversation on the topic:
Flickr to sell off your Creative Common photos – http://t.co/Q5kCyo9gvx
— Andy Budd (@andybudd) November 29, 2014
Jen Simmons further drills into the debate with two succinct tweets and a blog post:
@adactio @andybudd @zeldman I don't think a line between digital & physical object makes any sense. I want the line to be between making…
— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) November 30, 2014
@adactio @andybudd @zeldman …between making a new creative work & straight up reselling copy. And another line between reselling a license.
— Jen Simmons (@jensimmons) November 30, 2014
Jen Simmons’ blog post on I Don’t Want “Creative Commons BY” To Mean You Can Rip Me Off
And then Ms. Simmon’s linked to this Wall Street Journal article: Fight Over Yahoo’s Use of Flickr Photos
The quote that sums up Flickr in this situation and my own opinion* comes from Zeldman’s blog post:
I’ve had a Flickr Pro account for about ten years. I love Flickr. Sometimes, for years, it has been like loving a friend who is in a coma. Now it’s like helplessly watching a cocaine-addicted friend snort up their kid’s college fund.
Come on, Yahoo.
* As for the larger scope of my own opinion on Flickr and other photo sharing sites is a blog post in the making, as I am still collecting some comparison data.
** Please note that I am pro-Creative Commons, but chose a few years go – due to abuse by others – to switch from a CC-NC license on my Flickr images and my blog images/posts to a Copyright – All Rights Reserved.
