Illinois Farm Bureau Photo Rights Grab

The Illinois Farm Bureau, the champion of the rights of rural Illinois citizens, seems to be engaged in a scheme to replenish its stock photo library with all rights and royalty-free photographs with absolutely no regard to the itellectual property rights of the same members it claims to represent in the halls of Illinois government.



Farm Bureau members who are amateur photographers whould beware of the fine print in the rules of the Illinois Farm Bureau's photo contest. (When you get to that site click on the cow picture for a PDF of the full contest rules)



The fine print in the entry rules contains the following provision:
"By submitting a photo, you authorize the Illinois Agricultural Association, more commonly known as Illinois Farm Bureau, to use your photograph for purposes of promoting the photo contest and other activities. You waive any claim of ownership or right to compensation for use of the photo."

WHAT????

Simply put, if an amateur photographer farm wife or farm husband enters picture of daughter Susie posing with her county fair grand champion Holstein, that picture becomes the all out property of the Illinois Farm Bureau and it can use the picture any way it wants. To any amateur photographer this would be flattering. What's puzzling is why the Illinois Farm Bureau feels the need to claim all rights -- the copyright -- without just compensation to the original copyright owner?

Stock Photography is a multi-million (at the very, very least) industry in the U.S. Formerly the bastion of hardcore weekend shooters and professional photographers, the proliferation of the Internet and photo sharing sites like Flickr have made photography accessible to the masses.

To the chagrin of legions of pro shooters a great number of these masses are darned good shooters who could care less about making a buck or two from photography, though more and more amateur shooters are wising up. Like me. I'm no New York shooter but I've learned over the last two or three recent years that publishers are willing to pay to license pictures. To the chagin of legions of pro shooters some amateurs don't realize that their photos are valuable to someone who needs that particular photo.

To the delight to large publishers, such as the Illinois Farm Bureau, these organizations take advantage of uninformed amateur photographers and devise photo rights grabs under the guise of "photo contests." The Illinois Farm Bureau isn't the first nor last organization to use this ploy. But I for one am calling foul on this one.

Photo contests are great, especially one that really do highlight the picture documentation of modern rural lifestyles. The Illinois Farm Bureau if it so choses can administer this contest without confiscating all rights of the entrants.

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