Photographers Shouldn't Be Upset Over Amazon's White-Background Patent

Amazon recently won a patent for perhaps the most commonly used photography technique around: snapping a picture of an object against a white background. But according to experts, the patent isn't exactly what it seems and shouldn't have as much of a profound impact on photographers as they think.

The news of the patent win first surfaced about two weeks ago, and the resulting uproar focused on supposed ownership of a basic technique. Technically, it could mean Amazon has license to sue anyone shooting a catalog.

Not surprisingly, photographers are not happy. In fact, there's already a petition circulating with nearly 45,000 signatures asking the US Patent and Trademark Office to appeal the parent. Read more...