China's Largest Stock Photo Provider Attracts Fire Over Use of Black Hole Image (techcrunch.com) 47
Reader hackingbear shares a report: As soon as the European Southern Observatory released the black hole photo, under Creative Commons license, on April 10, Visual China Group (VCG), China's leading stock image provider that's compared to Getty Images, made the image available for sale in its library without attribution to the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. "This is an editorial image. Please call 400-818-2525 or consult our customer service representative for commercial use," said a note for the black hole image on VCG's website. Internet users took to social media slamming VCG for monetizing a photo intended for free distribution among the human race. VCG swiftly revised the note to say the black hole photo should not be used for commercial purposes, but the incident sparked a plethora of comments on Weibo condemning VCG's opportunist business practice.
For example, the price tag of the national emblem image ranges from150 yuan ($22) to 1,500 yuan ($220.) "Copyrights protection should definitely be promoted. The question is, why is VCG allowed to price photos of the black hole and the likes out of the market? Why is it able to exploit loopholes?," Du Yu, a Beijing-based freelance technology journalist, said to TechCrunch. China's the cyberspace watchdog of Tianjin ordered the photo site to end its illegal, rule-breaking practices. "We have taken down all non-compliant photos and closed down the site voluntarily for a revamp in accordance with related laws," said VCG. Shares of VCG, whose executives are mainly American and Canadian citizens and filed 16 copyright lawsuits per day on average (in Chinese, Google translate), plummeted 10 percent Friday morning in Shanghai Stock Exchange.
For example, the price tag of the national emblem image ranges from150 yuan ($22) to 1,500 yuan ($220.) "Copyrights protection should definitely be promoted. The question is, why is VCG allowed to price photos of the black hole and the likes out of the market? Why is it able to exploit loopholes?," Du Yu, a Beijing-based freelance technology journalist, said to TechCrunch. China's the cyberspace watchdog of Tianjin ordered the photo site to end its illegal, rule-breaking practices. "We have taken down all non-compliant photos and closed down the site voluntarily for a revamp in accordance with related laws," said VCG. Shares of VCG, whose executives are mainly American and Canadian citizens and filed 16 copyright lawsuits per day on average (in Chinese, Google translate), plummeted 10 percent Friday morning in Shanghai Stock Exchange.
150 yuan ($22) to 1,500 yuan ($220.) (Score:1)
Well I'm glad Chinese money works on a linear scale
Re:Well, that should work (Score:5, Interesting)
That's actually one of the select few things that makes CCP apparatus act. CCP's primary concern is "societal harmony", which means that you can make your money illegally as long as you don't stand out.
This company stood out because it attracted public's attention. Which is why it shut down the site ASAP when its people realised what happened. If it was up, CCP's political apparatus would have likely moved to crush it already as the outlier that disturbed the "societal harmony". Taking the entire site down shows the CCP apparatus that company is aware of its responsibilities to the Party, the nation and its people.
If the storm on social media dies down, they will be successful. If not, CCP will likely either act to rapidly crush the company, or censor the social media, or both.
Re: (Score:3)
FYI China and its companies file most copyright claims in the world by a large margin at this juncture of history.
It is not opportunistic (Score:4, Insightful)
It's theft.
Call it what it is.
Re: (Score:2)
Call it what it is. [Theft]
Call it what it is: Black Hole Theft(!)
Then hurry and get a patent on it "while you're filing on average 16 copyright lawsuits per day."
Re: (Score:2)
I see, where did they teach you that theft of a copyrighted work (which all work is by creation) is ok in Communism School?
I hold copyrights from works I did a long time ago. Stealing my work is still theft.
Same goes for the picture.
Anyone is allowed to sell it (Score:1)
The photo was licensed as Creative-Commons-Attribution. There is no problem with selling it, only with not giving attribution.
Typical (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Similar things happen to Wikimedia Commons images (Score:2)
Use a different CC License (Score:2)
gimp (Score:2)
Put some hair around it (Score:2)
...and the hole will be censured throughout China.
Comment removed (Score:3)
No honor culture. (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
When America and Canada sends its people, they're not sending their best. ... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems ...
You mean the executives who were born and raised in China, bought a US or Canadian citizenship and then immediately went back to China? They got it just so they can skip out more easily when the crackdown comes.
You wouldn't download a black hole! (Score:2)