Universal Picture Glossary

The PLUS Coalition has published the Universal Picture Glossary, a free resource providing industry standard definitions for more than 1300 terms used in transactions involving photography and illustration. You can find the PLUS Glossary at the PLUS Coalition website.

Click on the headline of this story to read the official press release.

P.L.U.S. Coalition Publishes Universal Picture Licensing Glossary

Coalition Accomplishes the 'Impossible,' Creating A New Standard With International Participation and Support

The PLUS Coalition has published the Universal Picture Licensing Glossary, a free resource providing industry standard definitions for more than 1300 terms used in transactions involving photography and illustration. The new PLUS Glossary is now online and available for use at the PLUS Coalition's newly launched web site, www.usePLUS.org.

Unveiled by the PLUS Coalition at the Picture Archive Council of America (PACA) International Conference earlier this month, the PLUS Glossary is the first component of the Picture Licensing Universal System (PLUS), a new system of industry standards created and approved by a worldwide coalition of art buyers, photographers, illustrators, publishers, graphic designers, advertisers, artist representatives, stock picture agents and their trade associations.

"With PLUS Glossary version 1.0, anyone, anywhere can find a universally accepted definition for any image licensing term in seconds, for free, 24/7," said Jeff Sedlik, President & CEO of the non-profit PLUS Coalition. "We are already moving ahead with development of other features, including the PLUS License Format and Media Matrix."

The PLUS License Format will allow standardized license information to travel as metadata within digital images, easily accessible to any viewer. With the PLUS Media Matrix, media selection will be quick and easy, with internationally uniform media categories, organized by type and identified by universal billing codes.

The new PLUS Glossary is receiving high marks from image makers and image users alike. Leading industry professionals view the Glossary as a comprehensive, universal resource for defining image usage terms.

Jigisha Bouverat, Senior Art Buyer at TWBA/Chiat/Day and a member of the PLUS Art Buyer's Committee, said, "The PLUS Coalition's standardized usage system will assist all art buyers and art producers with rights management."

George Fulton, President of the Advertising Photographers of America (APA), believes that PLUS is critical to the future of the industry. "Without a doubt, PLUS is the key to establishing a common language in our global marketplace."

"The PLUS Glossary will make the image licensing process more transparent and easier for everyone involved," says Bonnie Beacher, Senior Director of Contracts, Copyrights and Permissions at publisher McGraw-Hill Education. "We expect to save hours of negotiating time."

Chris Ferrone, President of PACA, believes that the efforts of the Coalition will benefit anyone engaged in image licensing. "The PLUS organization has tackled this complex problem thoroughly and professionally, bringing the experience of many veterans of the image licensing business to bear."

Adobe is a charter member and primary supporter of the PLUS Coalition. "Adobe is interested in finding a solution to offer rights-managed imagery within Adobe Creative Suite," said James Alexander, director of Adobe Stock Photos at Adobe. "Unlike royalty-free images, rights-managed images offer designers more value through usage histories, model releases and the ability to license images for exclusive purposes. Automating this highly negotiated process, however, is complex. We believe PLUS is an important link for bringing key industry players together to deliver a rights-managed solution to market and we are supportive of their efforts."

Collectively, the PLUS Glossary and other PLUS System components exist as the most comprehensive standards in the world of image licensing, creating a new, universal licensing language that is easy to understand, and easy to use.

To learn more about PLUS, visit www.usePLUS.org