Simon Crofts

We have just come back from Lausanne, where we had gone for the aunch of reGeneration2 at the Musee de L’Elysee. Sylwia Kowalczyk, my wife, was one of the 80 photographers selected as ‘Tomorrow’s photographers today’, representing the best of the next generation of art photographers. Needless to say, I am incredibly proud of her, and went along to carry her bags and meet a whole bunch of inspiring photographers, many of whom I already knew through their photographs (for example, I had admired Kalle Kataila‘s photography at an exhibition at Loft Proekt – Etagi in St Petersburg).

The Musee de L’Elysee had a proper budget to give a really spectacular launch, flying photographers from all over the world and providing accommodation, as well as a programme of events, including a delicious Thai barbecque. We met many lovely and talented photographers, several from the Helsinki School who seem to be dominating contemporary photography. A particular favourite was Saana Wang, both for sunny and radiant disposition, and her intriguing photographs, which, like Saana herself, transcend the divide between Finnish and Chinese cultures.

Here are Sylwia’s pictures hanging in the exhibition. reGeneration2 is being published by Thames and Hudson:-

As you might expect, everything in Switzerland runs like a clock. The driverless trains on the city’s metro system are especially cool. Which makes you all the happier when you come across a little design flaw, proving that we are all human after all.

Tonight’s absolutely fantastic news is that the orphan works proposals have been struck out of the Digital Economy Bill (see my previous post). It was taken out literally minutes before the new law was finally adopted by the House of Commons. Fortunately, many MP’s on all sides of the house had seen the lunacy of the provision, and the Conservatives in particular made their approval of the Bill conditional on striking out Section 43.

My faith in democracy is restored. Though it is a little sad that MP’s have a better understanding of the impact that the legislation would have on intellectual property than the Intellectual Property Office do.

Kudos to the organisers of the Stop43 campaign, many of whom are lights on EPUK – Editorial Photographers UK – for carrying out a brilliant information campaign to stop the draconian proposals.

To celebrate, here’s a picture taken from the bus this last Friday. As you can see, it’s been snowing here!

The Government is planning to introduce a new law in just two weeks’ time that allows companies to use your photos without your permission and without paying you for their use. The law was proposed by the Intellectual Property Office, bowing to commercial pressure from publishers.

Instead of seeking the owner of the photograph’s permission and paying for use, publishers will be able to pay a nominal fee to a government body instead of the owner. To take advantage of this, all the publisher needs to do is say they couldn’t find the owner of the photo. In theory, they are supposed to do a ‘diligent search’ for the copyright owner – in practise, given the billions of photos online this protection means nothing.

What is more, the Government plan to pass the law without even debating it properly in Parliament! Only the Liberal Democrats have so far mounted any kind of convincing opposition to these plans.

Section 43 needs to be struck out. Click below for the “Stop43″ website: