IMPORTANT UPDATE

British Airways significantly improved the terms and conditions
of their "Inspire Us" contest.

Please see our revised report for details.

Many thanks to those who reached out to British Airways on behalf of Artists' Bill of Rights.

The information below is out-of-date and no longer applicable!

"Inspire us!", pleads a current British Airways competition.

"We want to inspire everyone to go on holiday and come back with a different take on their trip and we need your help."

Help us to ALL your rights, too!

And by entering the competition you will certainly be giving BA plenty of help.

"By entering the competition you assign to BA the complete copyright and all other rights in or to any photograph or the content contained within any entry, which shall be for the full period of copyright."

The Artists' Bill of Rights continually emphasizes how important it is to read Terms and Conditions of every competition before you enter it.

#WomenMakeItHappen, sponsored by Thomson Reuters Foundation and Microsoft, is a case-in-point. And it is a complicated one with multiple sets of terms: one for the entry portal (Talenthouse), and one for the competition.

Grant of perpetual, irrevocable license and waiver of moral rights

By submitting content via their portal (Talenthouse), you grant a "perpetual, irrevocable" license for Talenthouse and their advertising affiliates, among others, to use your image for "the promotion of our clients and/or promotional partners and their products or services." Furthermore, "You waive any and all claims you may now or later have in any jurisdiction to so-called “moral rights” or rights of “droit moral” with respect to the User Content."WomenMakeItHappen Rights Off

Entrants retain copyright but winners are at risk of losing it in exchange for their prize

Beware of disclaimers in bold type assuring that you retain copyright to your work, as in this competition. Such statements can be misleading. By entering via Talenthouse you've already granted perpetual and irrevocable image use in addition to waiving your moral rights. Now, if you win, you must agree to the following:

"Upon the Promoter’s and/or Sponsor's request, winners agree to sign any and all legal forms deemed necessary to license or assign all right, title and interest in and to the Work, including without limitation, all copyrights associated therewith, in exchange for the Prizes set forth above."WomenMakeItHappen Rights Off

Sony World Photography Awards
Professional Competition

"Behind the absence" ©Myriam Meloni, Italy, Winner, Lifestyle,
Professional Competition, 2014 Sony World Photography Awards.

8 January is your last chance to enter up to 15 series of images for free
to the Professional Competition

Submissions close 8 January 2015 at 11:59:59 GMT

Entering your images is free, and you can win up to $25,000 USD, Sony camera equipment, international exhibition, unmatched press coverage and professional opportunities and much more.

Flickr’s gallery of Creative Commons photos for wall-art prints. Photograph: PR

With a very modest apology to an astoundingly arrogant move to sell Creative Commons' licenced images as wall art, Flickr announced recently it would discontinue the controversial, for-profit venture.