Kodak’s new “Uber for photographers” is hitting a bit of an Internet speed bump.
That might be because of its extremely aggressive rights clauses, some of which more than one photographer has taken exception with and made their concerns known via social media, among other outlets.
Kodak’s service called Kodakit, launched in 2017, was supposed to help bring together talented photographers with companies that need their services. As PetaPixel highlights, the marketing surrounding this billed it as an Uber-type of service. That is, companies could work with photographers on demand for a la carte projects.
That’s all fine and good but apparently, Kodakit’s “entire copyright” clause is kneecapping it as a potential venue for photographers looking to make money.
PDNPulse was the first to start pointing out that it looked like Kodakit was “grabbing copyrights” with these terms of service.
Here is one section of concerning language:
“[…] Photographer hereby perpetually and irrevocably assigns to the Client upon creation the entire copyright, including all rental and lending rights whether vested, contingent or future in the Work Product (including any associated intellectual property rights), and all rights, title and interest (including a right of action) in the Work Product upon its creation whether now known or hereinafter created to which the Photographer is now or may be in the future entitled by virtue of, or pursuant to, any of the laws in force in any part of the world and to hold the same to Client, its successors, assignees and licensees absolutely, for the whole period of such rights for the time being capable of being assigned by the Photographer together with any and all renewals, revivals, reversions and extensions throughout the world.”
You can read the document in full here.
Basically, you sign over the entire copyright, you then are obligated to hand over all related files and outtakes or destroy them, you then cannot use those shots for self promo, and lastly you can’t even claim the photos you shot on the service as your own in any way.
For those who may not be familiar with the gig economy world, it is rare that you have to surrender full copyright with a project on anything. In fact, some creators will specify the level of copyright their service entails.
Of course, anyone with half of a brain and a pulse would be wary of working with a service that wants the rights to everything.
Do you have any experience with Kodakit? Tell us your story in the comments.
