Founded in 2001, the Stock Artists Alliance was an international trade association of photographers who produce images for stock photography. The mission of SAA was to support and protect the business interests of professional stock photographers with regard to the worldwide distribution of their intellectual property. [1]
Stock photography is the supply of photographs, which are often licensed for specific uses. The stock photo industry, which began to gain hold in the 1920s, has established models including traditional macrostock photography, midstock photography, and microstock photography. Conventional stock agencies charge from several hundred to several thousand United States dollars per image, while microstock photography may sell for around USD 25 cents. Professional stock photographers traditionally place their images with one or more stock agencies on a contractual basis, while stock agencies may accept the high-quality photos of amateur photographers through online submission.
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The most well known types are copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets. It was not until the 19th century that the term "intellectual property" began to be used, and not until the late 20th century that it became commonplace in the majority of the world.
As an advocate for its members, SAA encouraged the use of fair contracts and ethical behavior at all levels of the industry. SAA monitored the stock photography industry and served as an ombudsman for its members' interests in dealing with picture agencies and other distribution channels. [1]
SAA's first major negotiation was with Getty Images to improve the photographers' contract.
Getty Images, Inc. is a visual media company, with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is a supplier of stock images, editorial photography, video and music for business and consumers with an archive of over 200 million assets. It targets three markets—creative professionals, the media, and corporate.
In 2008, SAA joined over 60 other art licensing businesses (including the Artists Rights Society, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Illustrator's Partnership of America and the Advertising Photographers of America, among others) in opposing both The Orphan Works Act of 2008 and The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008. [2] Known collectively as "Artists United Against the U.S. Orphan Works Acts," the diverse organizations joined forces to oppose the bills, which the groups believe "permits, and even encourages, wide-scale infringements while depriving creators of protections currently available under the Copyright Act." [2]
Artists Rights Society (ARS) is a copyright, licensing, and monitoring organization for visual artists in the United States. Founded in 1987, ARS is a member of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers and as such represents in the United States the intellectual property rights interests of over 80,000 visual artists and estates of visual artists from around the world.
The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) is a professional association concerned with promoting the interests of staff, freelance and student editorial cartoonists in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With nearly 300 members, it is the world's largest organization of political cartoonists.
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.
In October 2009 SAA formally became a member of the Alliance of Visual Artists an umbrella organization representing six photographic associations and some 45,000 professional photographers (direct and affiliated members) worldwide, led by Professional Photographers of America
Professional Photographers of America (PPA) is a worldwide trade association of professional photographers. As of 2018, PPA has more than 30,000 members in 60 countries.
The organization ceased operations in April 2011. [3]
