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Photo agency Masterfile signs on with Idée Inc.'s Image Monitoring Service

TORONTO, ON – May 4, 2007 – Visual search pioneers Idée Inc. today announced that leading stock image agency Masterfile will use Idée's Image Monitoring Service to identify and track use of their images in print publications.

By identifying and tracking Masterfile's images in publication, Idée's Image Monitoring Service will ensure recovery of image licensing revenues from undocumented image use. With Idée's automated service, Masterfile will know exactly where their images are being published in print media, ensuring protection of their rights–managed image collection from misuses and infringements.

Idée's powerful image recognition technology identifies images based on distinct visual features by creating highly detailed digital fingerprints unique to each image. The software then compares each digital fingerprint to millions of print images. Idée can identify images that have been radically cropped, rotated, colour–changed, flipped and even obscured with text or other images.

“Masterfile has been manually monitoring print media to protect against infringements of our rights–managed image collection since the days of the Gutenberg press – which is to say that print monitoring has been an integral part of our business for a long time and some of our staff are very old! After careful beta testing with Idée over a period of several months we were satisfied that Idée's visual recognition software was as good as our people at catching infringements – and it was more extensible. Now our people spend less time turning magazine pages and more time turning Idée reports into money,” said Steve Pigeon, president of Masterfile Corporation.

“With an archive boasting one of the stock photo industry's largest and most unique rights–managed collections, Masterfile sees their images used everywhere. With great success comes the greater potential of misuse, making Masterfile's image tracking needs considerable. Our image monitoring technology is the ideal solution to those needs. We are happy to provide certainty and accountability in Masterfile's image distribution process.” said Leila Boujnane, Chief Executive Officer of Idée.

Masterfile is a privately owned stock image agency offering licensed, premium images from its archive of rights–managed and royalty–free collections. Founded in 1981, Masterfile has grown to become one of the largest independent stock image providers in the world. http://masterfile.com/

About Idée

Idée Inc. develops advanced image identification and visual search software. Read more...