Pro-Imaging

The Bill of Rights Poem 

Pro-Imaging commissioned a poet, Bryan Islip, to compose a poem for us that expresses in a way that only poets can, our contempt for right grabbing terms and conditions in photography competitions. We are delighted with this very expressive work and wish to thank Bryan Islip publicly, who as a creator himself has the greatest sympathy with our cause.

If you can keep your heart when all about you

Have lost their titles to some small print t's and c's,

If you can trust the law when lawyers doubt you,

If you submit your work and lose its virtue,

But always try to show the honest touch,

If those big businessmen can't hurt you,

Though all men count with you, and truth as such;

If you can let them take your stuff and own it

Throughout the universe and just for fun

You lose the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a fool, my son!

(With apologies to Rudyard Kipling

'though not to Corbis, who may not yet…)

© Bryan Islip www.picturesandpoems.co.uk

Background

The poem was originally written as a response to the 'I Am Buried' competition launched by Corbis in August 2007, and the competition rules claimed all rights from the entrants forever and throughout the universe. Pro-Imaging was so outraged at the avaricious terms of this competition that we decided there and then to build a campaign to name and shame those who ran rights grabbing competitions.

That campaign has now been launched and if you want to see the named and shamed competitions you can read the details on our Rights Off List. Read the Bill of Rights to see details of how we test the rules of photography competitions.