-
Ken Kozakiewicz (left) breaks down in an evacuation helicopter after hearing that his friend, the driver of his Bradley Fighting Vehicle, was killed in a "friendly fire" incident that he himself survived. All of the soldiers were exposed to depleted uranium as a result of the explosion. They and the body of the dead man are on their way to a MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital). Iraq, 1991.David Turnley—Corbis
-
Albert Einstein sticks out his tongue when asked by photographers to smile on the occasion of his 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951. Princeton, NJ.Arthur Sasse— Bettmann/Corbis
-
Acrobats Jarley Smith (top), Jewell Waddek (left), and Jimmy Kerrigan (right) perform a delicate balancing act on a ledge of the Empire State Building in Manhattan. Aug. 21, 1934,Bettmann—Corbis
-
Grace Kelly prays during her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco on April 20, 1956.Bettmann—Corbis
-
U.S. National Guard troops block off Beale Street as Civil Rights marchers wearing placards reading, "I AM A MAN" pass by on March 29, 1968. Memphis, Tenn.Bettmann—Corbis
-
Jesse Owens, runner. Oct. 19, 1937.Bettmann—Corbis
-
A huge crowd of soldiers in combat gear stands at attention beneath the reviewing stand at Nuremberg, Germany, listening to a speech by the German Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler during the Nazi Party rally of 1936.AS400 DB—Corbis
-
Gene Fullmer receives a crushing right from Neal Rivers during their 10-round bout at Madison Square Garden. Fullmer, a former middleweight champion, would go on to win the bout by a majority decision. Nov. 15, 1957.Bettmann—Corbis
-
Two Dust Bowl refugees walk along a highway towards Los Angeles. passing by a billboard imploring them "Next Time Try the Train - Relax". March 1937.Corbis
For the last decade, Getty Images and Bill Gates’ Corbis Images were competing for the top spot in the image licensing business. That fight is now over.
On Jan. 22, Visual China Group (VCG), an imagery licensing company in China, acquired the digital and physical assets, names and trademarks of Corbis Images, Corbis Motion and Veer, putting an end to Gates’ dream to bring great imagery to people’s homes. Corbis was originally known as Interactive Home Systems when Gates envisioned a system that would automatically distribute artworks to consumers’ screens.
As part of the deal, which also includes the historic collections from the Sygma and Bettmann archives, Getty Images will take on the distribution of these assets outside of China, adding millions of images to its already extensive archives and bringing the years-long struggle between itself and Corbis to an end.
“We’ve been partners with VCG for 10 years,” says Craig Peters, Getty Images’ Senior Vice President of Business Development. “We’re partnering with VCG to distribute [Corbis’ content] out into our markets, and that’s basically every market outside of China. That will be an exclusive relationship.”
For VCG, the deal is a way to bolster its activities in China. “We have been exploring opportunities to extend our portfolio by buying into world-class assets to capture the evolving demand for visual communication around the world,” VSG’s CEO Amy Liang tells TIME in a phone interview. “The deal strengthens our dominant position in China’s imaging industry. It also marks a significant milestone in VCG’s journey of globalization.”
Initially, Corbis’ content will continue to be available on the Seattle-based company’s website and through its sales staff. But, says Peters, “over a short period of time, we will be moving the premium content on the Getty Images’ platform.” Getty Images will also manage Corbis’ physical archives on behalf of VCG. “We will be going through and continue to look for opportunities to digitize both the Sygma and Bettmann physical archives,” says Peters.
This transfer of assets – the images will also be available to Chinese customers on VSG’s website – could potentially lead to layoffs at Corbis’ image licensing divisions. “I think both Corbis and VCG will work closely together to ensure a proper transition and to maximize the commercial value we can get from these assets and also we keep in mind the best interest of our employees,” says Liang.
“There are continuing business elements that are not included in this transaction,” adds Peters. “Certain Corbis staff will be associated with those businesses going forward. And certainly, Getty Images will look for opportunities to leverage any staff that is necessary to bring this content to market and to continue to maintain the content.”
As for Corbis’ contributing photographers and videographers, VCG will assume control of all existing contracts going forward. “Contributors will [be able] to execute their rights as their contracts stipulate,” Peters add.
Earlier on Jan. 22, Getty Images’ co-founder and chairman welcomed the deal on Twitter:
Almost 21 years but got it. Lovely to get the milk, the cream, cheese, yoghurt and the meat without buying the cow. https://t.co/53aRceMJZE
— Jonathan Klein (@JonathanDKlein) January 22, 2016
Olivier Laurent is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @olivierclaurent
Follow TIME LightBox on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Donald Trump Was Just Indicted. Here's What to Know About the Charges and the Case
- What Could Happen Next for Donald Trump
- Trump's Indictment Drama Showcased His Rivals' Weakness
- Inside Ukraine's Push to Try Putin For War Crimes
- Bad Bunny's Next Move
- Elon Musk Signs Open Letter Urging AI Labs to Pump the Brakes
- Eliezer Yudkowsky: Pausing AI Developments Isn't Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down
- 'How Is This Still Happening?' A Survivor Questions America's Gun Violence Problem
- Cheryl Strayed Will Always Be Here for You
- Who Should Be on the 2023 TIME100? Vote Now