Partnership with PicScout Helps SuperStock Defend Rights-Managed Images across the Internet
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2004-- SuperStock, Inc., a subsidiary of a21, Inc. ("a21") (OTCBB: ATWO - News), a leading online digital content marketplace, today announced an agreement with image recognition solution provider, PicScout. Through the agreement, SuperStock will use the PicScout Image Tracker monitoring service to protect the rights of SuperStock images over the Internet by uploading their copyrighted images onto the PicScout servers. The PicScout servers will then search the web and detect SuperStock images from the database, even if the images have been cropped, resized, or colorized. PicScout will provide detailed reports and enable SuperStock to pursue any copyright infringement. "Copyright infringement across the Internet is an important industry issue. SuperStock is committed to preventing it and protecting our artists and our intellectual property. PicScout's technology helps us to do just that," said Haim Ariav, President and COO, SuperStock. "Protecting against copyright infringement is a critical component of treating our artists as a top priority -- and not as a commodity. This agreement is part of SuperStock's continuing commitment to our artist partners and their valuable work."
"We are thrilled to add SuperStock to the growing list of PicScout partners," said Eyal Gura, CEO, PicScout. "The Image Tracker Service is the market leader for monitoring and enforcing the use of images in the worldwide digital content marketplace."
The Image Tracker service is being adopted by stock photo agencies around the world to monitor and enforce the use of rights -managed images over the Internet. The service is based on PicScout's proprietary image recognition and crawling technology. Agencies upload their copyrighted images into the PicScout servers which then crawl the web and detect images from the database, even if they have been cropped, resized, or colorized. PicScout then provides detailed reports and the copyright holders pursue the infringers.
About PicScout
PicScout is a leading technology provider of the stock photography industry. The company offers solutions for image owners to control and protect their images in the information age. PicScout's image recognition solution enables the comparison of image databases with individual images that are being used in commercial web sites. Based on this technology, PicScout provides a number of services to the stock photography industry. These services enable stock photo agencies to enforce their copyrights, better control their assets, develop new billing methods and increase their customer base. PicScout manages more than 1 million images for the world's most prestigious image libraries.
About a21
a21 (http://www.a21group.com) is a leading digital content marketplace for the professional creative community. Through SuperStock (http://www.superstock.com), a21 delivers high quality images and exceptional customer service. Together a21 and SuperStock provide a whole new level of image access to the best photographers, artists, photography agencies and customers in the business, offering a valuable and viable choice in the stock image industry.
For further information contact us at:
PicScout
Ze'ev Rozov
VP Sales & Marketing
Tel +972-9-9548005
Cel +972-54-4402626
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or visit us at www.picscout.com