The RSPB wants your photos........

It gets worse .......


* Entrants must mark each photo with their name, address and contact telephone number
(both daytime and evening) If you are emailing the image please save the file using your

full name.

* Full copyright title shall be retained by the Author of any submissions. By submitting any contribution to the RSPB, you agree to grant the RSPB a perpetual royalty free licence to use any or all of the contributions in any of their publications, on the website and/or in any promotional material. Permission will be sought and the Author credited where possible. Any contribution provided will be non-confidential and in accordance with privacy restrictions set out in the RSPB’s Privacy Policy

So, they must have your contact details as a condition of entry, but permission will be sought & the author credited where possible; is that just bad grammar, or a cop out from the word go ? And how on earth is the potential use by the RSPB of all entries supposed to appeal even to those we've already suggested might not read/be concerned by the t&c, when the hook is surely intended to be the kudos of "look, that's my photo there, I did that" if there's no guarantee they'll be credited ?

It just doesn't work on so many levels. And there will be a backlash from people who might otherwise have contributed to the worthy cause, those who now see this for the blatant exploitation that it is, etc.

Come on RSPB, was this introduced in December in the spirit of Christmas & goodwill, or simply Scrooge ? Have a rethink ...

ps the t&c define "amateur" as someone who earns less than 50% of their income from photography, so that's most of the folk on here then (?); do you really want to submit a cracking image, that you're really proud of, that should reflect well on you, for the one man selection committee ( winners will be chosen by the RSPB Product Manager for calendars); to be potentially exploited in all manner of media without necessarily being credited; for the present completion rules to potentially be later deemed changed once advised on website ? If you still don't get it, can I remind you submissions go to
Rebecca Porter, Assistant Buyer

Bah humbug
 
rudolf hucker said:
So, they must have your contact details as a condition of entry, but permission will be sought & the author credited where possible; is that just bad grammar, or a cop out from the word go
Click to expand...

Covers the case where a submission is made using false details.
 
Frank, old fruit, either you don't understand the points I was making :-

a) there is poor grammar elsewhere in the competition rules " The judge’s decision on all matters affecting this competition is final and legally binding ". The apostrophe is in the wrong place, & they need better proof reading, but my query was whether that quoted previously was also poor grammar, or deliberately obtuse ?

b) so re. " Entrants must mark each photo with their name, address and contact telephone number
(both daytime and evening) If you are emailing the image please save the file using your ..." and

"Full copyright title shall be retained by the Author of any submissions. By submitting any contribution to the RSPB, you agree to grant the RSPB a perpetual royalty free licence to use any or all of the contributions in any of their publications, on the website and/or in any promotional material. Permission will be sought and the Author credited where possible "

I was pointing out that on the one hand they're insistent on having the OP's contact details from the outset, but on the other saying they will be contacted for permission (which ought to be a formality when these details known) ..... where possible - & the author credited ...... where possible (which ought to be mandatory). Mind you, they also say that " No correspondence regarding the results will be entered into" so seem to be intent on covering all the bases. None of this has anything to do with entrants using false details.

What we have for sure, though, is yet another organisation that ought to know better, be advised better, trying desperately to appeal to the public with a sugar coated pill designed to generate yet more income, but which the more discerning can see is (an avoidable) blatant rights grab which endeavours to make mugs of those very same people, & alienates people like me who might otherwise have simply given them some cash.

Imagine if you will that someone (doesn't matter who) acquires one of your images & use it across different media to make money, but without reference to you, without prominent credit, without a licence to so do, & without the appropriate payment. This is tantamount to the same thing (just blindsiding people with xxxx), worse in fact, because the t & c also say " The RSPB reserves the right to edit and alter submissions", so potentially not only might they use it royalty free with gay abandon anywhere they choose, for as long as they choose, without crediting you as the photographer, they can also edit it so that it's perhaps unrecognisable from that which you proudly submitted.

Can you honestly say that you can support & defend all that ?

Anyway, enough now, & for all those reasons (shame on you RSPB) I'm OUT
 
I've just written to Rebecca Porter, the organiser of the "competition". It didn't take too long as I was able to amend a letter originally sent to the Ordnance Survey, who ran a similar "competition" about a year ago. Anyone else wanting to use the letter is welcome to send me a PM.

It is worth remembering that the Landscape Photographer of the Year had a rights grab like this a few years ago. It was dropped following pressure from photographers.
 
Similarly - the RHS Garden Photographer of the year, which you pay to enter:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Competitions/Photo-competition/Terms-and-conditions
"Copyright will remain with the photographer. However by entering this competition the photographer/entrant agrees to the RHS using the images for possible exhibition, publication or promotional use. Medici Cards has the option to publish the prize winning entries as part of the RHS Greeting Card Range, and will contact the prize winners accordingly. Prize winners will receive full photographer’s credit from Medici Cards."

So they could actually make commercial cards from submitted entries... which bearing in mind you pay to enter is pretty mental.
 
jerry12953 said:
I've just written to Rebecca Porter, the organiser of the "competition". It didn't take too long as I was able to amend a letter originally sent to the Ordnance Survey, who ran a similar "competition" about a year ago. Anyone else wanting to use the letter is welcome to send me a PM.

It is worth remembering that the Landscape Photographer of the Year had a rights grab like this a few years ago. It was dropped following pressure from photographers.
Click to expand...

Maybe you could post the text of the "letter" here so we can get a better idea of your "point"

Its all starting to sound like crazy yokels with pitchforks and torches
 
essexash said:
Maybe you could post the text of the "letter" here so we can get a better idea of your "point"

Its all starting to sound like crazy yokels with pitchforks and torches
Click to expand...


The problem is that photographers put up with all sorts of **** and will never hold their ground. If only they would just say "NO" then this sort of nonsense would stop. But it is like herding cats.

If you think it is necessary to add inverted commas to my text then I don't expect you will take it seriously. Anyone genuinely interested could contact me off-list.
 
Durbs said:
Similarly - the RHS Garden Photographer of the year, which you pay to enter:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Competitions/Photo-competition/Terms-and-conditions
"Copyright will remain with the photographer. However by entering this competition the photographer/entrant agrees to the RHS using the images for possible exhibition, publication or promotional use. Medici Cards has the option to publish the prize winning entries as part of the RHS Greeting Card Range, and will contact the prize winners accordingly. Prize winners will receive full photographer’s credit from Medici Cards."

So they could actually make commercial cards from submitted entries... which bearing in mind you pay to enter is pretty mental.
Click to expand...


That really is beyond the pale. It puts the RSPB's attempts in the shade. The blatant unfairness and profiteering shocks me but then I guess there will be plenty who will fall for it, unfortunately.

Thanks for posting.
 
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