Corbis

Corbis

Type	Private
Industry	Digital image licensing and rights services
Founded	Seattle, Washington, USA (1989)
Headquarters	Seattle, Washington, USA
Owner(s)	Bill Gates[1]
Website	www.corbis.com www.veer.com

Corbis Corporation is an American company, based in Seattle, Washington, that licenses the rights to photographs, footage and other visual media. It has a collection of more than 100 million images and 500,000 video clips.

Lines of business

Image licensing and search

The company's collection includes contemporary creative, editorial, entertainment, and historical photography as well as art and illustrations. Among its acquisitions are the 11 million piece Bettmann Archive, acquired in 1995; the Sygma collection in France (1999); and the German stock image company Zefa (2005). Corbis also has the rights to digital reproduction for art from the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Gallery in London.^[2] Corbis adds hundreds of thousands of new images every year.

Corbis's collections include:

• Contemporary creative imagery from the zefa, etsa, Corbis's wholly owned collections and others.
• Celebrity photos from the Outline and Corbis Entertainment collections.
• Historical and editorial images from photojournalists, museums, and cultural institutions including Andy Warhol Foundation, Ansel Adams, Douglas Kirkland, James White^{[disambiguation needed ]}, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Gallery, London, The State Hermitage Museum, Christie's Images, and the Bettmann, Hulton-Deutsch, Sygma and Brett Weston collections.

Corbis has a subsidiary, Veer, that focuses on licensing low-cost images that are crowd-sourced from photographers around the world as well as fonts and creative merchandise.

Rights services

Corbis has a division called GreenLight that handles licensing of content, clearances, rights representation and talent negotiations. GreenLight also represents rightsholders directly, including the personality rights of Bruce Lee; Johnny Cash and June Carter; the Andy Warhol Foundation; Steve McQueen; Mae West; the Wright brothers; and Albert Einstein.^{[citation needed]} GreenLight's rights and music clearances group will secure third-party rights to celebrity talent, music, TV and film clips, trademarks, footage, etc.

Footage licensing

Corbis has a subsidiary, Corbis Motion, that has a library of more than 500,000 video clips including contemporary collections of people and lifestyle, business, sports, travel destinations, nature, and an archival collection that covers news and events, arts and entertainment and sports. The Corbis Motion web site has advanced search, purchase, and real-time delivery options.

History

Founding

Corbis is privately owned by Bill Gates, who founded the company in 1989 under the name Interactive Home Systems (a name currently held by an unrelated, slightly older company based in Concord, Massachusetts). One major reason for starting the company was Gates's belief that people would someday decorate their homes with a revolving display of digital artwork using digital frames.^[3] The company's name was changed to Continuum Productions in 1994 and to Corbis Corporation a year later. "Corbis" is Latin for "wicker basket", which at the time referred to the company's emerging view of itself as a receptacle or storehouse for visual media.

1990 to 2000

Corbis began with a goal much different from its strategy today. At its formation, Interactive Home Systems presented itself to the corporate world as an art-licensing company. Gates envisioned a system that could deliver the great art works of human history into consumers' homes, and he formed Interactive Home Systems as the company that eventually would beam the paintings of famous artists via technology that had yet to be developed. Interactive television was suggested as a way to deliver the content, but as the development of the ultimate conduit was under way, Corbis focused on digitizing content and acquiring rights to images. Corbis signed agreements with the National Gallery of London, the Library of Congress, the Sakamoto Archive, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Strategic Change in 1994 Leads to Bettmann Archive Acquisition in 1995

• In 1994, a new management team was put in place, as the pursuit of developing technology became a secondary concern. Of primary importance was cataloging, indexing, and acquiring further image collections. The change in priorities reflected a shift from the company's roots as an art-licensing concern toward a new corporate objective: assembling the most comprehensive digital photographic archive in the world. Along with the altered business focus came a new name. Interactive Home Systems was changed as the company's corporate banner, replaced by Continuum Productions, which was dropped in favor of Corbis Corporation, adopted in 1995.

• In October 1995, the company purchased the huge Bettmann Archive collection which included the pre-1983 photo library of United Press International and its predecessor photo agencies, Acme and INP, the photo arm of the International News Service. Prior to acquiring the Bettmann Archive, Corbis represented roughly 500,000 images, a total that increased exponentially when the Bettmann drawings, artworks, news photographs, and other illustrations were added to the company's portfolio. In all the Bettmann Archive contained 16 million images.^[4] The archive is today stored 220 feet underground in a refrigerated cave in the Iron Mountain storage facility^[5] , and the company also maintains a similar archive outside of Paris, France, preserving more than 30 million images from the Sygma Collection.

• In 1996 the company acquired the exclusive rights to approximately 40,000 images photographed by renowned wilderness photographer Ansel Adams.^[6]

• In 1997, Corbis named company veterans, Steve David and Tony Rojas, co-CEOs. Corbis also hired two industry leaders - David Rheins to run Corbis' Productions, and Leslie Hughes to lead the company's B2B image licensing division, Corbis' Images.^[7] These hires marked the company's shift to a more market focused entity.

• Corbis Productions published several award winning CD-ROM titles such as A Passion for Art: Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Dr. Barnes, compiled from the Barnes Foundation collection, and Leonardo DaVinci, which showcased the Codex Leicester.^[8]

• Corbis Images benefited from significant acquisitions completed that underscored the company's commitment to electronic commerce and ignited impressive revenue growth for many years to come.

• In 1998, Leslie Hughes was named President of Corbis Images. The company expanded internationally and through product development and further acquisitions. The company acquired Digital Stock Corp., a leading supplier of royalty-free images to further expand its offering. ^[9] In 1998, another division was added to Corbis Images when the company acquired Outline Press Syndicate, Inc., the leading supplier of celebrity portrait photography. Renamed Corbis Outline, the company syndicated studio portraits and candid photographs of actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, business leaders, scientists, and other celebrities and provided the images for sale to a broad range of national magazines.^[10]

• In June 1999, the company acquired Sygma, the largest news photography agency in the world. Organized as a division of Corbis Images, the France-based company, renamed Corbis Sygma, added an astounding 40 million additional images to the company's collection, expanding Corbis's portfolio beyond 65 million images. The archive is today stored in a preservation and access facility outside Paris.^[11]

2000–2010

Corbis business-to-business image licensing business expanded with the growth of the Internet in the early part of the decade. The company also expanded geographically, making multiple acquisitions such as the Stock Market^[12] and expanding into the footage licensing market with the acquisition of Sekani.

• In 2000, after the company's dramatic growth in the professional licensing business, Corbis named Leslie Hughes, President of the newly consolidated Markets and Products Group (CMPG). The new group represented the consolidation of three formally separate business units., profesional licensing, and business communicator (Small office). ^[13]

• In 2001 Corbis built a state-of-the-art preservation facility in western Pennsylvania to house the renowned Bettmann Archive. Corbis committed to preserving the collection for generations to come, and to allow continued access to this extraordinary collection. ^[14]

• In late 2002, Leslie Hughes stepped down as President of Corbis' Markets and Products Group. Steve Davis was named as sole CEO, and Tony Rojas was appointed the company's President.

• In 2005, the company expanded further into Europe with the acquisition of zefa^[15] , and into Australia in 2006, with the acquisition of Australian Picture Library.^[16]

• In April 2007, the company announced it was naming new leadership. Steve Davis stepped down as CEO, and Gary Shenk was named as the new CEO as of July 1. ^{[17] [3]} Shenk oversaw aggressive cost-cutting efforts to improve the company’s financial performance and address the rise of low-cost competitors. The company experienced several waves of layoffs for the next several years, shed non-profitable lines of business and reduced its number of offices globally.

• In November 2007, Corbis announced that it would be purchasing Veer and would continue to operate it as a separate brand. ^[18]

• In early June 2007, Corbis announced that it was creating a microstock website, SnapVillage. The company said it intended to use its microstock site as a farm club to find photographers who could also sell their photographs on the main Corbis Web site. In late June, the company launched SnapVillage, with about 10,000 images initially viewable. SnapVillage was closed due to low sales in early 2009 and rolled into Veer.

• Corbis rebranded its Rights Services Division, previously a Division of Corbis Images, as "GreenLight" in 2008.^[19]

• In July 2008 Corbis sold eMotion LLC, its media management division, to Open Text Corporation.

• In May 2009, Corbis opened the Sygma Preservation and Access Facility outside Paris, France, housing tens of millions of photographic elements from the past half century in Europe.^[20] The company in 2009 also re-launched its Corbis Motion website with hundreds of thousands of new video clips, after signing a new partnership with Thought Equity Motion.^[21]

• In 2010, Corbis increased its focus on serving web and mobile customers, with the introduction of low-resolution file sizes images that were more affordable for Web and Mobile use.^[21] Corbis also relaunched its Veer.com website with a greater focus on affordable images and fonts to compete more effectively against low cost competitors.^[22]

• In 2010, Corbis was found to have committed fraud against Infoflows Corporation.^[23][24][25]

• In this decade, Corbis has discussed its financial direction in moving towards profitability multiple times without success. ^{[26] [27] [28]}

2011–present

• In January 2011, Shirley Jones sued Corbis alleging the company violated her publicity rights, and seeking class-action status for other celebrities.^[29]
• July 2011 - Five Photographers take Corbis to court for misuse of corporate assets in closing Corbis sygma. ^[30]
• July 2011 - Corbis acquires Splash Media, a Los Angeles based firm that deals in celebrity photography. ^[31]
• August 2011 - Corbis and the Associated Press announce a distribution deal to try to reach each other's customers for current and archival photographs. Corbis' collection includes the library of onetime AP-rival UPI, acquired in the purchase of Bettman. ^[32]

References

1. ^ Lohr, Steve (18 Jul 2010). "In a Partnership of Unequals, a Start-Up Suffers". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/technology/19startup.html?ref=technology. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
2. ^ Katie Hafner, A Photo Trove, a Mounting Challenge, The New York Times, April 10, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b} Hafner, Katie (10 April 2007). "A Photo Trove, a Mounting Challenge". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/10corbis.html. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
4. ^ Jesse Birnbaum; David Bjerklie; Patrick E. Cole (23 Oct 1995). "HISTORY: GATES SNAPS TOP PIX". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983601,00.html. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
5. ^ Haynes, Gary. "UNDER IRON MOUNTAIN Corbis Stores "Very Important Photographs" At Zero Degrees Fahrenheit". National Press Photographer's Association. http://www.wilhelm-research.com/nppa/NPPA_Corbis_Preservation.pdf. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
6. ^ Lohr, Steve (2 Apr 1996). "Gates Acquires Rights To Adams Photo Images". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/02/business/gates-acquires-rights-to-adams-photo-images.html. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
7. ^ "Industry leaders join Corbis to meet growing demand for visual content". BNET. 1997. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1997_Sept_9/ai_19735318/. 
8. ^ Teather, David (8 Feb 2005). "The software billionaire's $170m sideline". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2005/feb/08/newmedia.microsoft. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
9. ^ "Gates' Corbis Archive Acquires Digital Stock". The Seattle Times. 3 February 1998. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980203&slug=2732323. 
10. ^ "Outline Press Joins Corbis; Premier Celebrity Image Provider Joins Forces With Market Leader Corbis to Create World's Most Extensive Celebrity Portrait Business". Business Wire. 14 Jul 1998. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1998_July_14/ai_50168086/. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
11. ^ Balean, John (15 May 2009). "PAN Special Report: The Sygma Preservation and Access Facility". PhotoArchiveNews.com. http://www.photoarchivenews.com/archives/002717.html. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
12. ^ "Corbis Acquires The Stock Market Photo Agency". 22 Mar 2000. http://www.photosource.com/steedman.html. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
13. ^ "Hughes to Lead Newly Consolidated Markets and Products Group". http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Leslie+Hughes+to+Lead+Corbis'+Newly+Consolidated+Markets+and+Products...-a069987846. 
14. ^ "Corbis Opens New Film Preservation Center that Rescues and Preserves Access to America's Most Famous Images". http://www.wilhelm-research.com/corbis/Corbis_PressRelease_4_29_02.pdf. 
15. ^ "Corbis Acquires Zefa, Third-Largest Image Licensing Company in the World". 4 Jan 2005. http://www.creativepro.com/article/corbis-acquires-zefa-third-largest-image-licensing-company-in-the-world. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
16. ^ Ferrone, Chris (3 Oct 2006). "Corbis acquires Australian Picture Library". http://www.abouttheimage.com/2527/corbis_acquires_australian_picture_library/author3. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
17. ^ "Corbis Announces New Leadership Team". http://www.corbis.com/corporate/pressroom/PressReleasesDet.asp?ID=42. 
18. ^ "Corbis Acquires Veer". http://www.abouttheimage.com/2910/corbis_acquires_veer/author3. 
19. ^ "Corbis Rebrands as "GreenLight" and signs Steve McQueen licensing deals". License! Global. 24 Jun 2008. http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=525400. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
20. ^ "Corbis Opens Sygma Preservation And Access Facility". 18 May 2009. http://www.designtaxi.com/news/27050/Corbis-Opens-Sygma-Preservation-And-Access-Facility/. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
21. ^ ^{a b} Phelps, Brent (21 Jan 2009). "Corbis partners with Thought Equity Motion". http://www.abouttheimage.com/4032/corbis_partners_with_thought_equity_motion/author2. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
22. ^ "Veer's New Website Equals Simpler Shopping, More Affordable Images & Fonts". 14 Jul 2010. http://www.creativepro.com/article/veers-new-website-equals-simpler-shopping-more-affordable-images-fonts. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
23. ^ Eaton, Nick (20 Jul 2010). "Bill Gates-owned Corbis slapped with $20M fine for fraud, other rulings". http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/215149.asp. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
24. ^ Buley, Taylor (19 Jul 2010). "Start-Up Goes Public On Corbis Fraud, Starring Bill Gates". Forbes.com. http://www.forbes.com/2010/07/19/corbis-infoflows-lawsuit-technology-bill-gates.html?boxes=techchanneltopstories. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
25. ^ Lohr, Steve (18 Jul 2010). "In a Partnership of Unequals, a Start-Up Suffers". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/technology/19startup.html?ref=technology. Retrieved 10 May 2011. 
26. ^ Ferrone, Chris, ""Corbis reports on 2005 Financial Performance", About the Image, March 2006
27. ^ Ando, Ritsuko, ""Corbis on Verge of Profitablity", Reuters Media Summit, November, 2007
28. ^ "Corbis and Costco - See paragraph 4 about profitability", Weiss, Debra, December, 2010
29. ^ David Walker, "[1] PDN, Jan 2011
30. ^ La Lettre "[2] La Lettre, July 2011
31. ^ Seattle Times "[3] Seattle Times, July 2011
32. ^ http://paidcontent.org/article/419-the-ap-and-corbis-combine-image-libraries-in-distribution-deal/

Further reading

• Dear Bill Gates, Dir. Sarah J. Christman, USA, 2006.
• Company history from Funding Universe

External links

• Official website
• Veer
• Corbis Motion
• Green Light Rights