KevinS

????

I once was contacted by a major retailer about a catalog cover. They asked for a larger file; I sent it. They asked for a file in a different format; I sent it. We went back and forth over the fee. After coming to agreement they asked for an invoice; I sent it. After more than 90 days, I asked about payment. They said they changed their mind, and won't be using my image. I explained that I had done work at their request and the fee was due. Maybe not the common practice, but they paid.

Agreed as well, but no need to argue the time frame. The terms say 30 days. If Alamy wants another time frame, change the terms. Having written terms (and prices) that are meaningless is the path to chaos (oops, already there). I worked with an agency in New England that would never have worked like this. The current chaos in the industry is the result of having no rules.

Continuing the downward trend, it's now just 3

Done. Thanks!

...

I opted out of Alamy's "schemes", but don't see a way to opt out of PU. If there is, I'd like to know. I wonder if Alamy's sales staff is commissioned or salaried? There may be no incentive to fetch decent fees.

Alamy seems to put in a great deal of effort to get sales they would otherwise not get, or so they say. This looks like an effort to license a photo real cheap, rather than try for a decent fee.

One would think so, but then, this is Alamy

No opt out for this. There's a link at the bottom of most pages explaining this, and saying; "Some of our top affiliates earn more than $4,500 a month"

# of sales and revenue both up over last year. USA subjects mainly, FWIW.

From "Terms & Conditions" or "Buy images and footage"; 10.Licence cancellation If you haven't used the Image(s)/Footage file you can cancel the Licence and get a full refund within 30 days of the Invoice date. You'll need to send us an email sales@alamy.com, with the Invoice number (e.g. IY11110000) and the Image file number (e.g.AT4WHG). If you cancel, you won’t be able to use the Image file and you’ll need to remove it from your archives. Also, the client can check the quality of the file before the invoice date; We can also give you access to hi–res files with no commitment to buy, so that you can see how things look in layout before making your final decision. I don't see how this refund was allowable; If you do not wish to accept the terms of this Agreement, please delete the unused Image(s)/Footage and notify Alamy by email to the following address: sales@alamy.com within thirty days from the invoice date for a full refund.

The details given in the OP really don't make things clear. Does repeat use mean two insertions or twenty? Unrestricted repeat use is not something that should be granted without proper compensation. A few keystrokes, license created, fee charged, and on to the next one seems to be Alamy's slapdash licensing model.

In the past I've granted customers unlimited use of an image within a certain time period. But for big money, which I doubt is the case here due to the times we're in and what I've seen of Alamy lately.

Another example of poor communication by Alamy. Is the Repeat Use an extension of the duration after the first 5 years? If so, why not specify. Is it for a second placement during the initial 5 years? Is this two licenses in one? No wonder people new to stock are often confused about licensing. Alamy muddies the waters and then does little to identify or collect on infringement. I had higher hopes for Alamy, but after twenty years they seem to not care about generating licenses that clearly set down the terms for end use. February is just around the corner. I wish they could convince me of their abilities regarding licensing (I'm all RM).