During the four intensive days at Visa pour l'image, the leading photojournalism festival in Perpignan, France, the event demonstrated its high professionalism and broad appeal, though it has somewhat lost its local connection. Amidst rising controversies, including the mayor’s refusal to present a festival prize over political disagreements, the festival courageously spotlighted global miseries and overlooked crises, from wars to social issues rarely seen in the media. Insights and images by Philippe François, Belga Images & CEPIC board member, highlight the power and challenges of modern photojournalism.

Artificial intelligence was a prominent topic at this year's 36th Visa pour l'Image festival in Perpignan, following its discussion at the previous CEPIC conference. Gilles Courtinat, a journalist for the French magazine 'Le oeil de l'info,' and Paul Melcher, a well-known expert in visual technology, initiated a well-attended debate on the subject on Friday at the festival.

A groundbreaking interdisciplinary study titled “Copyright & Training of Generative AI – Technological and Legal Foundations,” presented on September 4th at the European Parliament, reveals that the training of generative AI models involves copyright infringement. Commissioned by the Copyright Initiative, the study was conducted by Prof. Dr. Tim W. Dornis (University of Hannover) and Prof. Dr. Sebastian Stober (University of Magdeburg).

The Swiss Association of Picture Agencies and Photo Archives (SAB) has just released the highly anticipated SAB Price Recommendations Edition 2024. This updated 44-page brochure offers an essential resource for picture agencies, buyers, and photographers alike, providing transparent guidance for image licensing negotiations.

We are excited to announce an upcoming webinar that will be an invaluable resource for anyone working with digital content and media licensing. Google, in partnership with CEPIC, is hosting an exclusive webinar featuring John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, who will share his expertise on optimising your content for Google Images and mastering SEO best practices.

In advance of the upcoming roundtable with Sabine Verheyen, marking the start of the new CICI programme from September onwards, C8 Associates are looking to update and refresh the CICI briefing note to provide a clear outline of the key issues for discussion with our guests. As part of this, we would like to ask you to share with us the top issues you would like to see included in the note, as well as any opinions and positions you would like to express in relation to these issues.

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the passing of Amos Struck on 24th August 2024, at the age of just 43. Amos was a beloved member of CEPIC and a driving force in the stock media industry. His passion, open-mindedness, and boundless enthusiasm left a lasting impression on all who knew him.