Can you believe that Apple at one point thought it could use photos shot under its ongoing campaign #ShotOniPhone royalty-free? I mean people are out here going to extreme places with their iPhone to take that one good ‘kodak-moment.’ And Apple thought it will that picturesque shot without compensating the people who went to all that trouble; they probably used their own resources and time while at it.
So news outlets around the world call out Apple on that and the Cupertino company caved in; it will now pay the winners of the contest. In a blog post by Apple announcing the contest, there is a new line at the bottom that reads in part:
“Apple believes strongly that artists should be compensated for their work. Photographers who shoot the final 10 winning photos will receive a licensing fee for use of such photos on billboards and other Apple marketing channels.”
Entries for the #ShotOniPhone
Device – iPhone 7 Plus
Category : Nature pic.twitter.com/gYQUAEjxXT— Nirav Nalawade (@NalawadeNirav) January 25, 2019
#Shotoniphone and the San Francisco shot is panorama going from the feet to the sky. 🍻@Apple pic.twitter.com/I4Yp9GZsPT
— JOMΛR MΛlΛVE (@JomarMalave1) January 26, 2019
A few images for the @Apple #ShotOniPhone X contest pic.twitter.com/U4QE0jhFaz
— Bryan Daugherty (@BDorts) January 25, 2019
#ShotOniPhone
Image 1: Taken on iPhone XR
Image 2: Taken on iPhone XS Max
Image 3: Taken on iPhone XS Max
Image 4: Taken on iPhone X pic.twitter.com/zW237Lzb23— Brandon Havard (@BrandonJHavard) January 25, 2019
“Nothing worth having comes easy” #ShotOniPhone
iPhone X pic.twitter.com/higLCs5mhZ— 𝐖𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐡𝐚 𝐒. (@walkidim) January 24, 2019
#ShotOniPhone iPhone X Abstract Winter Geneva pic.twitter.com/mPp5CPwNl4
— David Schwarz (@davi_schw) January 27, 2019
Since you’re getting Paid, Apple announced new rules
Now that Apple has announced it is paying folks for their troubles, the company has further changed the rules of the contest. In the blog post, the company now states “Winners will receive a licensing fee for use on billboards and other Apple marketing channels.”
Often, creative artists have to fight with the notion that their work is easy and thus they do not need to be compensated for their time and effort. That Apple thought it could get away with that is quite appalling, to say the least.
If Apple is going to use the photos taken by the contest winners in all conceivable ways including commercial purposes. It is right that the people who took these shots get paid. The company will certainly get paid by more people buying their iPhones simply because they saw posters and billboards of photos taken from these devices.