Getty buys mobile picture agency, Scoopt

Link: Vecosys – a conversation about European startups

Glasgow startup Scoopt, which acts as a picture agency for snaps taken by citizen journalists and Joe Public with camera phones, has been acquired by Getty Images for an undisclosed sum.

According to a release today, citizen photographers who submit imagery to Scoopt retain copyright while granting the agency a 12-month exclusive license that authorises re-license to one or more publishers. It doesn’t look like Getty will radically change Scoopts model of giving contributors increased visibility and an extensive network of media contacts. Getty Images says it plans to fully integrate Scoopt into its organisation.

Get in! I was just thinking about this sort of thing over the weekend.

Congratulations to the Scoopt guys. Fasincating. I’ll be watching this one with even greater interest.