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Photographers Groups Call on Photolibrary to Answer Questions About Index Stock Payments |
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Written by Stock Artists Alliance
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Thursday, 13 December 2007 |
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Dec. 13, 2007--
The
Stock Artists Alliance (SAA), now joined by four leading North American
photographer associations, continues to call on Photolibrary to answer
serious allegations the company has not paid $2.2 million in
commissions due Index Stock contributors.
This
week, boards of
directors from the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP),
Advertising Photographers of America (APA), Editorial Photographers
(EP), and the Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in
Communications (CAPIC) affirmed their support for SAA's actions to seek
full accounting
and payments of any monies owed to contributors.
Each
association has also issued member alerts, encouraging Index Stock
contributors to contact group leaders. Each has supported SAA's call
for transparency and further investigation. Together with SAA, they
plan to file a joint complaint to the Picture Archive Council of
America, supporting the investigation already begun by PACA's Ethics
and Grievance Committee.
ASMP issued the following Statement
of Support: "To ensure continued and high-quality image contributions
to distributors and fair compensation for photographers, the American
Society of Media Photographers believes that the
photographer/distributor relationship must be built on the cornerstones
of transparency, trust and integrity. To that end, we support the
investigation into the allegations made regarding various
irregularities in the accounting practices and distributions made by
Photolibrary/Index Stock and look forward to a speedy and equitable
resolution."
APA National President Martin Trailer stated, "APA
supports the actions of SAA to investigate the accounting procedures of
Photolibrary, parent of recently acquired Index Stock. APA believes the
allegations made by Photolibrary's controller are serious enough to
justify a full review of the company's accounting practices. With the
scandalous days of creative accounting still fresh in many minds, APA
applauds and supports the actions of SAA on behalf of all professional
photographers."
SAA President Roy Hsu stated, "SAA is proud to
have ASMP, APA, EP and CAPIC joining us in our call for Photolibrary to
publicly answer allegations against them and share those answers with
all contributors, past and current. Together, we will closely watch
this situation and share with each other what we see and learn."
Associations seek straight answers from Photolibary
On behalf of Index Stock contributors, SAA, ASMP, APA, EP and CAPIC are asking Photolibrary to address the following:
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Photolibrary needs to provide every Index Stock contributor, past and
current, with a full and accurate accounting of all outstanding debt,
based on the findings of the independent audit.
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Photolibrary then needs to promptly pay in full all outstanding commissions.
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Photolibrary then needs to respond to contributors about the other
serious allegations of currently faulty accounting methods and
practices that, if true, would result in ongoing problems in their
reporting and payments to contributors.
For more information, see SAA's Dec. 6 release: http://www.stockartistsalliance.org/info/news/news.htm#photolibrary
About SAA
SAA
is the only trade association dedicated to the business interests of
professional stock photographers, supporting its members with
information resources and ongoing advocacy initiatives. More
information about SAA is available at www.stockartistsalliance.org
About ASMP
The
American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade
association representing the interests of publication photographers for
over 60 years through information, education and advocacy. www.asmp.org
About APA
The
Advertising Photographers of America, the leading trade association
representing the interests of advertising photographers, works to
improve the environment for success in the industry and champions the
rights of photographers worldwide. www.apanational.com
About EP
Editorial
Photographers is an organization of top magazine and news photographers
from around the world dedicated to improving business practices and
contracts. www.editorialphoto.com
About CAPIC
The
Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in
Communications (CAPIC) was founded in 1978 to safeguard the rights of
photographers and illustrators and digital artists working in the
Canadian communications industry. www.capic.org
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 December 2007 )
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