'IPL photo coverage issue to be resolved soon'

A possible compromise should be on the anvil in the next 3-4 days between the cricket board (BCCI) and the Editors Guild of India on the issue of photo-coverage of the cricket matches of Indian Premier League (IPL).

A controversy erupted after the BCCI-promoted IPL spelt out its terms and conditions for the photo-coverage of the IPL matches.

The Editors Guild termed these terms as a "gag on media" and wrote a strong protest letter to BCCI President Sharad Pawar. The Editors Guild of India is the apex body of the editors of newspapers, news agencies and television news channels.

"Lalit Modi did speak to me over telephone on Friday night stating IPL's position on the matter. I do hope that BCCI, like most print media, can subscribe to at least PTI photo and resolve the matter. I hope this matter will get resolved in the next 3-4 days," Alok Mehta, president, Editors Guild of India and editor of Outlook Saptahik, told Business Standard.

The IPL terms and conditions stipulate that still images taken by accredited photographers cannot be used for online editions of the newspapers for which the photographers may be working.

Furthermore, the rules even demand that the media organisations have to upload, at their own cost, the images obtained by them on the official website of IPL and the IPL can use these images without any payment to the newspapers or news agencies.

"In an age when most newspapers are also available to online readers, this stipulation is extremely untenable," said the Editors Guild's letter to Pawar and IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.