Until now, the only way photographers who posted their pictures on Flickr could get paid was by means of a private negotiation between them and those who wanted to use their ''all rights reserved'' work. Things are about to change. Flickr has just signed an exclusive partnership with Getty Images, the world's leading owner and distributor of photographs and multimedia content. The company is best known for its licensing method, that allows subscribers to earn money depending on the size, placement, duration of use and geographic distribution of their shared products.

The best pieces of work of the most gifted photographers on Flickr will be handpicked by Getty Images and uploaded in a specific area, built for the new media partner. This could boost the quality of the content on Flickr, as the artists will do their best to draw all attention to their own works.

''We are excited and proud to be partnering with Flickr to offer our customers even more choice for their projects. Our customers will be able to select and use the best imagery from a fresh collection of high-quality images chosen by us from Flickr's diverse and prolific community,'' said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images, about the agreement.

Flickr's representatives were no less excited with the partnership. ''We share Getty Images' commitment to the power of imagery and are thrilled to be working with the unrivaled leader in image licensing. Getty Images offers an unbeatable platform, licensing expertise, and a premier brand for Flickr members who want to bring their imagery to a worldwide customer base,'' stated Kakul Srivastava, General Manager of Flickr.

In the next few months, the agreement is expected to actually overpass the formal phase. Users, whether they are uploading pictures and receiving from Getty Images a share of their financial rights, or they are buying certain products, will set the market of photographs in motion.