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NUJ photographers launch campaign against Guardian 'rights grab'

Freelance photographers have been urged to sign a petition against Guardian News and Media's decision to scrap reproduction fees for photographers.

The petition has been launched by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) in conjunction with the British Photographic Council (BPC) and all editorial photographers who have previously submitted work to the group, or were planning to in the future, have been asked to sign.

"The reduced demand for photographs during the recession will force many photographers out of business. If we have to allow free use of our images this procession will be accelerated," it is stated in the petition to GNM managing editor Chris Elliott, which at time of writing had 274 signatures.

"As a first step, we urge you to enter into meaningful negotiations with the National Union of Journalists and other organisations representing photographers."

A demonstration against the changes is also being organised by the group to take place at 9.30am on the September 1 - the date on which the new terms for reuse come into action - outside of the Guardian offices in London.

Late last month Elliott wrote to contributors to inform them of the new conditions, which state that the company will no longer pay reuse fees for any work commissioned after September 1 this year.

Photography commissioned from this date onwards will include a 'non-exclusive, perpetual licence' that will allow GNM to reuse any pictures in its products and services free of charge. The move was said to be in response to the current recession and the effects of a reduction in advertising and decreased circulation on the media industry.

According to the NUJ, these amendments could affect hundreds of freelance photographers.

"This is forcing photographers out of newspapers," freelance photographer Pete Jenkins, who has written to GNM opposing the changes, said in an article on the British Journal of Photography's website.

Jenkins has argued that freelance photographers are not responsible for the reduction in GNM's income and therefore should not be penalised for it.

In a recent press release reacting to GNM's decision, NUJ freelance organiser John Toner, added: "At a time when press photographers are suffering severe hardship as a result of the economic downturn, it comes as a further blow to be informed that GNM demands unlimited re-use of photographs free of charge.

"Reuse is not free use."

Following the announcement of the changes, a GNM spokeswoman told BJP that costs were being cut in all aspects of the organisation and GNM rates for photographers remain one of the best in the industry.

"[O]ur standard syndication terms remain unchanged. We seek a non-exclusive licence to reuse new commissions, not the copyright.  We have to establish a sustainable cost base for the future," she told BJP.

The NUJ is also in ongoing talks with the Guardian about changes to reuse arrangements for contract photographers.

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