What is the reason of image rejection?

[dan_zel]

Could someone explain to me which elements of the image or description might have caused the rejection?

Title: Cotswold. Administrative area of United Kingdom highlighted and outlined on a darkened colored elevation map
Keywords: Cotswold,United Kingdom,Europe,physical,colored,shader,elevation,overlay,outline,Cirencester,Charlton Kings,Cheltenham,Bishop's Cleeve,Churchdown,Tewkesbury,Evesham,Stroud,Gloucester,Pershore,Royal Wootton Bassett,Stonehouse,Highworth,Swindon,Carterton,Dursley,Malvern,Witney,Ledbury,Yate,administrative,boundaries,region,country,location,territory,earth,planet,atlas,border,divisions,geography,geographic,map,cartography,visualization,nature,educational,science,zoom

Here's the reviewer's comment:

Thank you for the opportunity to review your image.
The review determined that the work contains copyrighted elements
and therefore cannot be accepted for the collection.
Copyrighted elements may appear in the image or in its description, title, or keywords.
For more information, please see our intellectual property guidelines.

[RALPH_L]

It is not your image or, can you take high altitude images?

[yamato7]

”Copyrighted works like art, books, maps, and fictional characters”

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/property-release.html

Maps are copyrighted and require a property release.

[Jill_C]

It seems very unlikely that you actually captured this image. You cannot submit public domain images as your own. You must own full rights and copyright to anything you submit.

[dan_zel]

This is not "public domain" image or "Copyrighted map". It is my work (illustration). I know which maps I can use or not. I thought maybe the fonts used at the bottom in the map description at the bottom... (?)

[Nancy OShea]

It's an IP violation, just the same.

When you illustrate real people, you must obtain their permission and have them sign a model release.

Similarly, when you illustrate property created/owned by other entities, you need their permission and a signed property release. 

• Model/Property Releases:
  https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/model-release.html
  https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/property-release.html

Stock IP Guidelines

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/ip-guidelines.html

You may not upload content that is lifted from third party sites (such as Unsplash or Pixabay). You may also not submit content that is too similar to the expression of another individual or entity’s work.

• Don’t submit what you believe to be public-domain content
• Don’t submit content created by other artists, including content available as a free download at any location
• Don’t submit content that’s partially based on the work of other artists

Hope that helps clarify things.

[dan_zel]

You know nothing about my work, yet you accuse me of "It's an IP violation" and "Don't submit content that's partially based on the work of other artists."

I've been creating my maps using many advanced cartographis, graphic and programming tools (Perl, SQLite) for years. My work is more cartographic than illustrative. I create maps not from someone else's illustrations but from scratch, from completely basic materials: elevation rasters, shaders, vector layers of rivers and lakes, and administrative locations (cities, regions). I use libraries like GDAL and ImageMagick. This is hard work, requiring considerable software skills and a lot of time.
I thought I'd find some advice on this forum, but all I find are baseless accusations that slander my reputation as an artist. You wouldn't want to be in my situation, so please, first verify the information you have before accusing someone of copyright abuse.

[Nancy OShea]

I apologize for any offense. That was not my intention.

Adobe is a commercial stock assets service, not a map site. I can honestly say that I've never encountered a mapmaker here. And I doubt that Adobe has either. That's not their typical contributor.

I urge you to re-submit your work with a signed property release form by YOU as the ARTIST.  Until you do that, Adobe can't accept original artwork (maps or otherwise) for commercial sale. 

Hope that makes sense. 

[dan_zel]

Thank you, Nancy, but no stock site has ever requested a property release from me for maps, and I've been sending maps to most stocks for 13 years. Shutterstock once rejected maps because they thought geographical and city names were copy rigtht names, but after I asked, they apologized, saying it was a curator's error. I wonder if Adobe didn't consider English cities and regions as copyrighted names (?) or it could be the font used at the bottom, but I checked and Candara font is for commercial use.

[Nancy OShea]

I don't care what other microstock sites do. They're not Adobe.

Adobe Stock has different standards, customers and pays higher royalty fees than other sites. They make the rules here, not on Shutterstock. Stock requires a signed IP release form for original artwork. It removes all ambiguity about legal ownership. 

[Ricky336]

... no stock site has ever requested a property release from me for maps,...

By @dan_zel

Hello,

There is always a first time! Err on the side of caution, and include with your submission an IP release stating that you are the owner/creator. 

It will therefore avoid this situation. That's what I would do. 😊