Shame on Lonely Planet
I got an email from a friend the other day telling me I should submit some photos to a free contest that Lonely Planet is having. Grand Prize? 2 Round the World air tickets! What an amazing deal. Listen to this gushing copy that LP has for it’s readers: “We just sent our 100 millionth guidebook out into the world, and we want to thank you – it wouldn’t be out there if you hadn’t shared our belief in the importance of travel. To celebrate, we’ve created a place for you to share your favourite travel moments. There are some amazing prizes for contributors, so show us your view of the world!”
Wow! Thanks Lonely Planet! I think I’ll submit this photo I took in India that has been a favorite of mine for a while:
Let’s take a look at the fine print to make sure I’m not signing away my copyrights real quick before I hit the submit button. What does it say here?
“Once submitted, your entry will not be returned to you.
General licence: Unless you opt-out of this licence by un-ticking the box on the entry page, in return for entering the competition you grant Lonely Planet a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence in perpetuity to reproduce, publish, adapt, communicate and broadcast all or part of your entry in any media for the purposes of this competition and inclusion in Lonely Planet branded products and marketing materials, including the right to sublicense.
Limited licence: If you do opt-out of the general licence by un-ticking the box on the entry page, in return for entering the competition you instead grant Lonely Planet a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence for two years to reproduce, publish, adapt, communicate and broadcast all or part of your entry in any media for the purpose of this competition.
Please note: If you opt-out and you are later chosen as a finalist, upon your acceptance of the finalist prize and in return for that prize, you grant Lonely Planet the General Licence set out above.
We will use reasonable efforts to attribute you as the creator of your entry where possible, but you consent to us not attributing you if we decide not to. Despite any moral rights that may otherwise apply, you consent to us or our sub-licensees (in exercising any of the rights granted by you above) using, reproducing, editing, publishing or communicating your entry in any form or medium.”
What does all of that mean? It means that Lonely Planet will gain access to thousands of photos from entries in their “competition” that they can then use for ANYTHING they want. Print them in their books, on their website, advertisements… FOREVER! They don’t even have to give you credit! And you, the photographer gets nothing but a chance at a round the world ticket. This is Lonely Planet’s way of building up a bank of photos that they can use forever. This is their way of never having to pay a photographer again.
Shame on you Lonely Planet. Your already overpriced so called “travel guides” just secured a spot in my boycott line. I strongly suggest all photographers out there not to enter this contest, and all travelers to look elsewhere for travel guides.
wow, what a piece of shit. tony wheeler recently sold Lonely Planet to the BBC only under the condition that they maintain the same set of principles as they currently have…
yeah, such a shame
A great blog entry. I saw the link on British Guild of Travel writers website. I have reprinted on my blog, crediting you – let me know if that is OK. If not I will remove it. But I do think this needs as wide publicity as possile.
Jenny Woolf
That’s fine, thanks Jenny! Well done on your blog!
Oops. Guess I should have read the fine print. I did submit two pretty sweet photos from Peru to the contest. Although I am a big fan of Lonely Planet products, I would definitely protest if they used my photo without compensation and/or recognition. Definitely a sneaky and underhanded way to get free content. Thanks for exposing this injustice Mr. Reichbaum. Jerks.
I think the real point here is that photographers should ALWAYS read the fine print of any contest they are entering. LP has stated their conditions, it is up to the contestant to be informed. I think that LP is not that unusual, nor more underhanded than most, in these conditions. Thank you for drawing attention to this fine print, though. All photographers thinking of entering should be aware of it, but I don’t think the attack on LP is really necessary.
Photograhy rights issue aside, I am not sure what you mean by “so-called” guide books. Personally, I travel a lot and I have always found LP to be the best guides in the business. Not always perfect, but certainly better than the alternatives.
Glenn,
Of course photographers should always read the fine print, but the fact is that many of the people sending photos into this contest do not read the fine print, and LP knows that. Most of the entrants are also probably not pros. They have no idea about rights grabbing, licensing, fair rights usage or any of that jargon. Thousands of travelers send in thousands of photos with the hope of winning the prize, and lonely planet in return gets their own stock images forever. No need for them to ever pay photographers again. That’s the main point here. Because of this contest some pro photographers that would have made money in the past from publications like LP will not have that chance any more. This is a thinning industry, and I’m trying to bring awareness to issues like this contest.
Also, as far as LP being used as a travel guide, I’ve always found it best to stay away from the eateries and hostels that they recommend. They might have been great when the author wrote them up, but as soon as that book gets published, they are overrun by tourists, their prices inevitably go up and quality of service usually goes down. About all they’re good for is their maps.