Money Mongers - aka BCCI

Everyone knew that the Indian Premier League was all about big bucks but no one knew that BCCI would put a price on everything. Even before a ball has been bowled in the new domestic Twenty20 event, an all-out war has broken out between the country’s cricket administrators and media organizations incensed over stringent restrictions regarding the coverage of the tournament.

On Friday, the Editors Guild of India and the Sports Journalists Federation of India both wrote scathing letters to BCCI chief Sharad Pawar, assailing the accreditation norms for the league and bluntly stating that the guidelines were "unacceptable".

Editors Guild president Alok Mehta told TOI , "The media has been given freedom to cover and communicate things to the public. We have written to BCCI but they are yet to get back to us." The guild letter said: "With deep regret and dismay, we are forced to point out that there are prohibitive conditions in the terms and conditions attached to the form, specifically paras (d) and (e), which deal with conditions of accreditation for print media and photographers. These are unprecedented and unacceptable."

Discounting the crucial role the media play in highlighting the game, the IPL governing body has refused to grant accreditation to websites for the event, and claimed sole copyright over all news photographs clicked by newspapers and agencies during the games.

IPL says it can use these images for free and without restriction, and has also asked media organizations to upload all their original photographs on the IPL website within 24 hours. It has also restricted web portals’ access to images without prior permission.

With all newspapers having online editions, this means media organizations have been barred from uploading their own images online, a ridiculous demand which now threatens a media boycott of the much-hyped event unless BCCI does a rethink on its petty commercial agenda.

The contentious clause relates to the right of the IPL to use all pictures taken at IPL grounds free of charge and use them without restrictions. “The IPL shall be entitled to use and reproduce, free of charge, worldwide and without limit in time any and all photographs/images captured by the accredited party at any ground and the accredited party shall make the same available promptly to IPL. The accredited party will (at his/her cost) upload the pictures to Indian Premier League within 24 hours of having taken the same.”

Originally Posted by medpal

this is the most absurd move from BCCI.

even CA also tried the same last year and Associated Press and everyone boycotted everything. ultimately CA had to back down.

so will BCCI have to do the same.

a.. A newspaper or a news agency can carry stand-alone still pictures of the Twenty20 matches in the print media and their websites without changing or morphing, and for editorial reporting purposes only
b.. The IPRs of any publication shall not be restricted in terms of the clause which says that the accredited party should not use material which could challenge and damage the IPR of IPL
c.. The images should not be used in direct association with any marks, names or logos of any third party and no part or whole of the image should be superimposed on
d.. No online use or publication or syndication of any such still photographic image is allowed except for the website of the publication
e.. In place of the original condition that the IPL was entitled to use and reproduce any and all photographs of the accredited party, which should be uploaded on the IPL website by the latter within 24 hours, the IPL now says it may request publications to provide for use and reproduction, free of charge, photographs from the publications


However, the revised guidelines reiterate the IPL's stand vis-à-vis websites - not including those that are online versions of print publications - on tournament coverage. Website reporters, though granted accreditation, will be given access to the venue the day before the match and for post match press conferences only - not during matches.


They also bar photographers from news agencies or other organisations from supplying photographs to these websites. No alternative provision has been specified for websites to source their pictures from, though on Monday the IPL said it was setting up a databank that could be accessed by these sites.


The IPL also extended the deadline for media accreditations by two days till Thursday.