Getty Images, the world’s largest photo agency, is now giving away their photos, hoping to eventually profit by selling data they collect on sites or through ads embedded along with the photos. While this may seem like good news for web site owners like Attitude Media, in fact it is not, if one looks beyond the short term.

What it really means is that online piracy is so rampant that Getty has given up trying to licence the use of their images, as most people prefer to simply steal them. Anyone who has followed what has happened with the music industry due to online piracy should understand that this sort of thing is never a good sign. Everyone needs to get paid for their work, whether that work is writing, making music, or taking photographs professionally.  That’s why Attitude Media goes to great lengths to make sure we only use photos in conformance with copyright law, although we’re sure we could get away with stealing like everyone else.