Why do some photos on Flickr have a “Request to License†tag with a Getty Images link next to them?
Flickr has a partnership with Getty Images, a stock photography company that licenses digital images (as well as music and video) from its archive to publications and other businesses. When a Flickr photo has a “Request to License†tag on its page, it means that the person who took it has turned on the Request to License setting for Getty Images in his or her Flickr account settings.
If someone wants to buy the rights to use that photo, clicking the Request to License link sends a message to editors at Getty Images. Upon getting the request, a Getty editor checks out the photo and if it passes muster, offers to set up a licensing deal for a legal use of the image. It may take anywhere from two to seven days to set up a deal for permissions and pricing.
Getty Images charges different fees to lic ense photos, usually based on the size needed. An extra-small 280-by-211-pixel photo may cost $5 to license, but a larger 2,100-by-1,400-pixel picture can cost $325 to use. The photographer still owns the copyright to the photo, but Getty Images handles the fee and permissions for someone else to use the image, then shares the payment with the photographer.
Getty Images also hosts a Flickr Collection on its own Web site that displays the work of Flickr members who have been invited to contribute. Photo editors, graphic designers and other people looking for images to license on the site can browse the Flickr Collection along with the company's other image archives. Getty editors actively look for images based on certain needs as well and often post their own requests on Twitter.
Participation in the Getty Images program is not mandatory for Flickr members, and the preferences for joining in (or not) are in the Privacy & Permissions area of the Flickr account sett ings page. Dealing with contracts and legal agreements may be daunting at first, but Flickr has more information about the Getty Images program on its site. Getty Images has its own Frequently Asked Questions page for those interested in becoming official Getty contributors.
