Model Release forms and witness signatures

[ianbutty]

On the basis of "Know thine enemy" I've been looking round some microstock websets over the last couple of days. I've noticed an interesting (and worrying) requirement for model release forms for microstock. Not only do you have to have an MR form, signed by model, and photographer, but it needs to be signed by a third party who witnessed the above signing the form.

Is this just peculiar to the world of Mircostock? Has anyone come across this requirement elsewhere for MR forms. Alamy's sample MR form doesn't have this and prior to 2 days ago all other sample MR forms I have ever seen don't have this requirement.

Needless to say that none of the MR forms I have on file have witness signatures and so would be invalid from a microstock point of view.

[ilanphoto]

Ian

Getty has this option on their form and the highly recommend having a witness sign but they do not demand this signature (yet?)

I am not sure I follow you as micro have always (AFAIK) demanded releases

Ilan

[ianbutty]

Ian

Getty has this option on their form and the highly recommend having a witness sign but they do not demand this signature (yet?)

I am not sure I follow you as micro have always (AFAIK) demanded releases

Ilan

Apparently the getty form is a clone of the iStockPhoto one... and the witness signature is therefore new since they bought istockphoto.

I'm sure that micro have always demanded releases, and when working with models and people I've always got releases. It is just that my releases follow the alamy and macro stock standard and don't have any space for witnesses. Oh yes and just for the record... no I don't submit to microstock.

[geoffpix]

Ian

Getty has this option on their form and the highly recommend having a witness sign but they do not demand this signature (yet?)

Ilan

I doubt they will make it compulsory since it then causes so many problems, who can witness etc as well as the practicalities of having to find a witness. I asked Peter M. about this and it was an advisory in certain circumstances.

Their last general email on it, they seemed to be pulling back from the issue...going from 'compulsory' to 'highly recommended' with the new releases. Clearly listening to the problems it caused.

Apparently the getty form is a clone of the iStockPhoto one... and the witness signature is therefore new since they bought istockphoto.

The witness option came into the Getty releases with the Dec 2008 update AFAIK. This was put on the site a little later if I remember correctly. I was using Getty releases, for Getty, with no option for a witness as recently as late December 2008.