Google gets difficult questions, says it will improve image metadata
During the 2010 picture buyers fair that took place in London this week, Google’s Matt Zitzman presented on image search and how images add value. While he went through many of the innovations that Google has made in image search the question at the end of the session focussed on a different subject. An audience that included many photographers quickly turned on to the difficulties to find the owners of images that are found on the web. Google was accused of stripping the metadata and being responsible for creating so-called orphan works in the process.
There was quite a bit of, mostly incorrect, talk about the ‘heckles’ that Google got at the seminar. We have a video of the moment one of the questions was asked. This was followed by a number of other visitors asking the same, or similar questions. Others in the audience mentioned that it’s not Google that strip out the data. They said this happens as soon as images are saved for the web.
Zitzman addressed the question by saying Google is now engaging with the picture industry to find solutions (he spoke at the PACA 2009 conference as well). When similar questions returned to the second seminar he confirmed that, while there are a number of other stakeholders, he would like Google and the picture industry to take the lead in finding a way that image-ownership can be attributed at source (i.e. a Google search). This read like a clear commitment to keep engaging with picture sellers and their organisations to solve this issue. This is good news for photographers and something stockphoto agencies will have to watch closely.
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I think the crowd were more annoyed by the fact that Matt didn’t have a handle on what was being said… I spoke up (asking the question in this vid) so that Matt could respond properly, and not have a baying crowd down his throat. 🙂
If Google could take info from meta data and mention (or give a link to) the photographer\owner of this photo, this could be a great thing for photographers, and would strip out most of the so-called orphan works.
Actually what Google said – or Matt which is not the same thing – is that Google wants to be a “leader” in determining metadata. No need of a new Google metadata standards IMO … It’s redundant. Several companies, including Adobe, or trade associations – including CEPIC, BAPLA – have been working on the issue of both harmonization of metadata and metadata stripping for many years. There is no need for Google to become a “leader”, rather they should just join IPTC and join the efforts of others. If they are serious about the image business, they probably will. At the moment, they are not serious about the image business. Images are there to enhance their search engine. Matt’s responses or lack of responses showed this very well. There was a complete ignorance about rights issues for example.
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