Giddy Up! Getty Images Hitches Itself to the ‘Gang-Up on Google’ Bandwagon

May 5, 2016

By NTENT

In the wake of the EUCC announcement it will investigate Google for antitrust violation laws, Getty Images wasted no time adding fuel to a fire that stands to singe the mammoth tech company.

The argument: In 2013, Google altered its layout to feature full size, high-resolution images in their search results, as opposed to thumbnail photos it yielded in days of yore. Getty Images general counsel, Yoko Miyashita explained the complaint to Bloomberg’s, Emily Chang on “Bloomberg West”, citing free exposure and easy download of images via search has led to a significant loss in traffic for Getty and their paying, third-party site owners, by failing to link images back to the source. She also stated Google is disadvantageous for content creators and their eternal slideshows offer no remuneration to the artists who depend on Getty Images for income.

The Debate: Why now? If Google changed the search results back in 2013, why conveniently wait until after the EUCC makes the first move?

Some critics feel Getty Images is merely blaming Google for its own failed attempts to secure a valuable, Internet following. Once it became clear few people were willing to pay exorbitant prices for its images, Getty offered a vast selection of free images available via embed code. Still, it failed to compensate for losses the way it needed to.

Miyashita acknowledged the skepticism of others behind Getty’s actions, but stated this was not a new topic for the company: They have spent the last three years in talks with Google to find a diplomatic solution, but like most companies these days who rely on the Internet for success, they found themselves in bed with the enemy. Perhaps all they needed was for the EUCC to clear them a path to righteousness.

The Bigger Picture: Getty Images’ attempt to kick the injured limbs of Google have little impact compared to the initial blow struck by the EUCC, but they symbolize the first of what’s sure to be several attacks, from various parties who have patiently waited for Google to discover it is Icarus instead of the sun. Especially in a world where some studies show more photos have been uploaded to the Internet in the last year than the total number of photos taken throughout history, and issues of privacy, specifically around the areas of facial recognition software used by the likes of Facebook and Google, remain a hot topic. Google’s privacy clause in its licensing agreement pretty much grants them rights to do whatever they want with uploaded photos, which a savvy lawyer might successfully argue negates Getty’s case, if they agreed to use Google as a marketplace for their photo business, maybe go so far to say Getty Images “owes” Google. Fortunately for Getty, with the EUCC as a fellow champion for justice, these blanket privacy laws may end up doing more harm than good for Google in the end.

Whether Getty Images is using Google as a scapegoat for their own decline or using the EUCC for their own gain, one thing’s for certain: The ‘Gang Up on Google’ bandwagon tour has officially begun, and tickets will likely sell fast.

Googleplex, Mountain View, CA. photo by Steve Harrington, Space Time and Smarter Media