Picscout ImageIRC™ Momentum Builds with Renowned Clients and Millions of Images Added for ImageExchange™ Users to See Ownership and Transact for Use

December 3, 2009 - Silicon Valley, Calif. - PicScout, the market leader in worldwide image services, enabler of client image monetization activities, and emerging standard for image credit, today announces more worldwide support from North America and Europe for the company's newly launched enabling services platform and technical standard for image credit, which consists of indexing, registry and connection. Thirteen additional clients have added their images to ImageIRC™ to become part of the online image index where every image gets its credit™, and image users connect with image sellers to transact for image rights at the point of the user experience. With the new collections from the renowned group of photographers and image licensors, ImageIRC adds a diversity of new images that provide ImageExchange™ users the benefit of access to more images they can quickly and legitimately use at the point of their encounter.

New ImageIRC clients include celebrated photographers Michael Friedel; Alfred Molon; and Louie Psihoyos. Leading international support comes, too, from distinctive licensing companies, including Arcangel Images; Blend Images; Blickwinkel; CSA Images; GAP Photos; Hawaii Pictures; Mediscan; PhotoNonStop; and Science Faction.

The new additions to PicScout ImageIRC underscore the immense variety of the online image marketplace that ImageIRC enables, with new content representing Travel, Medicine and Health, Gardening and Landscape, Hawaii, Science, Daily Living, Lifestyles, Food and Cookery, Interior Decoration, Natural History, Fashion, Beauty, Nature, Wildlife, Pets, Productive Livestock, Animal Habitats, Regions and Countries, Composing, Business, Sports, and People and Celebrities.

CEO of Science Faction and Jewel Box Images, and well-known image industry veteran Roger Ressmeyer, said, "Science Faction is delighted to use PicScout with ImageExchange to market and protect our invaluable, one-of-a-kind imagery.  It's a no-brainer since PicScout moves the stock photo industry out of the digital dark ages ... where Rights Managed images were too easily ripped off.  It's about time!"

Named by Fortune Magazine as one of the world's top ten photographers, Executive Director, Oceanic Preservation Society, Louie Psihoyos said, "The Digital Age has brought us the convenience of selling our most cherished collections to the widest possible audience, but it has also unleashed a legion of copyright infringers who try to hide their crimes of intellectual property theft amidst the sheer volume of internet traffic. The scale of the theft and various types of perpetrators almost defy comprehension. In the expanding universe of internet theft, PicScout brings a platform where justice can prevail for all parties. By providing copyright holders with an incredible mechanism to connect with actual buyers who want to use images when and wherever they encounter them, PicScout promises to restore image credit and image values to me and the whole digital image landscape."

Robert Henson, director of Channel Relations and Sales, Blend Images, said, "Blend Images is the world's leading multiethnic commercial stock agency. We want our entire collections to be readily available for use by anyone who encounters one of our images online. PicScout's ImageIRC has enabled us to connect directly with many buyers and image users we might not have otherwise encountered. The ability, via ImageIRC, to make an immediate connection with a new potential client brings new revenue opportunities, value to our photographers, and allows us to better promote Blend Images' unique product in a highly competitive marketplace."

"The momentum for ImageIRC is fantastic. With growing volumes and diversity, the ImageExchange user experience is unmatched. As ImageExchange buyers see images and recognize their ownership and value, a new image economy emerges where image buyers and sellers can connect to share information and transact for rights. We look forward to ongoing announcements about additional ImageIRC and ImageExchange clients as the image industry continues to pursue the goal: Every image gets its credit, and the online image marketplace flourishes," said PicScout VP Global Marketing and Business Development, Amy Love.

The many millions of images now available through PicScout ImageIRC™ can be recognized by anyone equipped with the free PicScout ImageExchange™ browser add-on. Those equipped see all ImageIRC images marked with the universally used icon, wherever they may encounter an image online. Pointing to the icon exposes metadata that identifies the image's owner or licensor and the connecting link to buy/use the image directly from the licensor.

Press Contact:
Suzanne Matick
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