Adorama backs down from "rights grab"

As many of you know, the photography contest "rights grab" syndrome has gone past sickening, advancing to the "vomit" stage.

But what is especially disheartening is when respected, trusted vendors to us all such as Adorama participate as can be read here. When you spend your hard-earned cash and purchase something from somebody, it's beyond insulting that they would turn around and try to screw you out of your rights.

But kudos to a true friend to us all, Photo Attorney Carolyn E. Wright who has apparently been successful in getting Adorama to back down as can be read here.

Shame on you Adorama for trying to sneak one by and thanks, Carolyn, for helping them to grow a conscience.

Just curious, but why not just not enter the contest if you don't like the rules?

heycow wrote in post #10328404
Just curious, but why not just not enter the contest if you don't like the rules?

That's been discussed many time here. The answer is, many people don't (read the rules).

If they don't read the rules they probably don't know enough to care about what they mean.

Can't protect people from themselves. Who will help them buy a house, a car, get a job, etc?

theextremist04 wrote in post #10328467
If they don't read the rules they probably don't know enough to care about what they mean.

Nonetheless, that's no excuse for "rights grabbers" trying to take advantage of them.

theextremist04 wrote in post #10328467
If they don't read the rules they probably don't know enough to care about what they mean.

... and not care enough to want to retain the rights to said entered photos to do anything beyond look at them on a computer screen.

Just to add my 2 cents. I think that this thread helpful. If you want to enter a contest, read the terms. If you don't like them, don't enter. If you can live with the terms, then enter. That's all there is to it.

I agree with Merlin

That's the point, and why discussions about rights-grabbing contests are so frequent here on POTN.

Photographers can make the decision to or not to enter. But reading the rules is a necessity if one is to make an informed decision.

Someone dumb and lazy enough to not read the rules to a contest deserves to lose their right to their work. Sorry, but it's time for people to start taking personal responsibility for their own actions.

I agee people need to take personal responsibility.

... but perhaps standing up against this sort of rights-grab will result in future contests with more rights-friendly terms.

Probably not, but I can hope.

It's merely another example of the entitlement syndrome that plagues society.

Those sponsoring the contest feel they are entitled to ownership of anything entered in their contest—and they are, if it says so in the rules.

Those entering the contest feel they are entitled to whatever benefits the contest offers, publication, prizes, etc., without following the rules—they're not.

Both groups are morally wrong, but the people who put out the contests are more legally correct.

The age-old principle of caveat emptor applies here. Never confuse what is legal with what is right.

It is the responsibility of anyone who enters any contest to read the rules before entering. Then, if all those who don't want to give away their rights would simply not enter, meaning virtually everybody, the contest formers would change the way they do things.

People, however, are just too damned lazy to bother reading the rules. Well, as another old saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Sorry, but I have no sympathy for the lazy.

Regardless, I find ANYONE that hides a means of profiting from others work via a smoke screened method like a contest or give away, is nothing short of a con artist.

That they can be the con artist legally simply by stating in fine print " this is a con, you are a sap " does not change the fact they are working a con IMHO.

I wonder if a filmflam man worked those words into his elaborate con, if he could get off of any charges?

Back on topic, Kudos to Carolyn E. Wright and Adorama for working this out for us all.

crashthenet44 wrote in post #10330016
Someone dumb and lazy enough to not read the rules to a contest deserves to lose their right to their work. Sorry, but it's time for people to start taking personal responsibility for their own actions.

This is just blaming the victim. You do things every day where you click "OK" to bypass a jumble of legalese. Did you really read the Terms of Service on your credit card? How about the EULA on all the software you install?

Just because somebody doesn't know that, for once, they actually need to read the legalese doesn't mean they deserve whatever happens when they don't. Further, the organization running the contest shouldn't get a pass on their unethical behavior just because it was "clearly written" in the fine print. Somebody not familiar with legal writing or the legal aspects of photography may not even know what all that stuff means.