Thanks. I've seen that some maps have been accepted on Shutterstock as editorial now. Way Forward?

Quote from: robhainer on August 25, 2013, 17:49

Shutterstock doesn't take public domain scans anymore, anyway. Got to create your own material instead of scanning someone else's.

it seems to me that if they are really in the public domain then it should be fine, it provides a service.  How easy is it to find high resolution images of some of that old artwork?  I think shutterstock messed up by being too lax on what they let in.  They let people submit things from well into the 1900s (even 1920s if I'm not mistaken) whereas istock only lets things in from pre 1890s.  Shuuterstock probably got in trouble for some of that material.

I am surprised how many maps get onto the sites though, most are not public domain or old.  I guess that will be stopped at some point in the future.

Hello All,

Sorry for the delay.

Regarding questions that came up about our policy with respect to public domain images:

Public domain images are typically those images for which the copyright has expired. Generally, it is safe to say that any image (published or unpublished) created before 1892 or by a U.S. artist who died prior to 1942 is in the public domain in the United States. It is not however easy to determine if an image fits those criteria and is in fact in the public domain. As copyright laws vary from country to country, determining the copyright status of images created outside of the United States is more complex.

Unfortunately, researching and verifying the copyright status of public domain images is not practical as part of the review process. On occasion, our policies have attempted to be more forgiving, but we can no longer accept public domain images. For the foreseeable future we will be adhering to our existing guidelines, which prominently state "submissions must be wholly owned by the submitter. Found or public domain images or footage cannot be submitted under any circumstances."

http://submit.shutterstock.com/guidelines.mhtml

Thanks for your understanding and we sincerely apologize for any confusion.

There are no plans to remove public domain images that are currently in the collection, but we reserve the right to do so as we perform routine reviews and quality assurance.

In addition, thank you for the feedback regarding our other review policies and communications. As always, our goal is to have and maintain the best submission experience and your feedback is helpful.

Best Regards,

Scott
VP of Content
Shutterstock

NASA (including Visible Earth)

    An online catalog of NASA images and animations.
    Submitted content that incorporates NASA elements/imagery must contain the following text in the title:  �Elements of this image furnished by NASA�

Postal Stamps

    Unacceptable for commercial use.
    Acceptable for editorial use only where the postal stamp is a genuine postal stamp accompanied by a proper editorial caption.

Globes and Maps

    Globes and Maps may be subject to copyright.
    Images of globes and maps for commercial use will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
    General restrictions for Globes and Maps submitted for commercial use include: flat scans of maps, recognizable symbols or components which are particular to the cartographer, and a key or legend in focus

Passport Stamps

    Submissions will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
    Unacceptable for commercial use where identifying elements are visible in the stamp(s).

United Nations Flag and Emblem

    Unacceptable for commercial use.
    Editorial submissions will be considered with a proper caption.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (including Ayer�s Rock)

    Located in the Northern Territory of Australia.
    Unacceptable for commercial/editorial use.