Wanted to let you know about a new platform for bloggers – PicApp – designed to allow online publishers to easily and legally post editorial and creative images to their blogs or sites. The company will demonstrate PicApp for the first time this week as part of the Israel Web Tour happening in Silicon Valley. See details in our press release pasted below. Or, to hear from PicScout CEO Eyal Gura and others participating in the Web Tour, go to BlogTV.

You can also test out the service for yourself by going to:

http://www.picapp.com
User Name: press@picapp.com
Password: 3475vh

Check out some great Super Bowl highlights by simply logging in and searching for Super Bowl.

Enjoy!

Thanks,
Kelly for PicScout/PicApp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PICSCOUT TO REVEAL FEATURES OF PICAPP PLATFORM
AT MICROSOFT SHOWCASE EVENT DURING ISRAEL WEB TOUR

Platform Lets Bloggers Download Creative and Editorial Imagery from Getty Images

SAN FRANCISCO – Feb. 4, 2008 – PicScout will demonstrate its new PicApp platform this week during the Israel Web Tour, by showing the wide breadth of content that will soon be available free to bloggers and other online publishers – using art, cartoons, stock photography and even breaking news photos from events around the world. Millions of copyrighted images, previously illegal to use, will be available from Getty Images (NYSE: GYI), the largest provider of still imagery, footage and multimedia products.

PicScout will show PicApp for the first time this Thursday, Feb. 6, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Microsoft in Mountain View, Calif., as part of the Israel Web Tour 2008 Showcase, which is slated to highlight technology and applications from 15 of the most promising companies to recently come out of Israel.

“By offering the breadth of content that Getty Images provides, we are making a huge amount of new material accessible to online publishers,” said Eyal Gura, CEO, PicScout. “We’re interested in getting feedback that can help us improve PicApp’s usability, look and feel so we can continue to improve our offering.”

Currently available only to closed beta users, PicApp (www.picapp.com) makes the process of posting images to web sites quick and easy. Based on proprietary, patent-pending technology, PicApp allows online publishers to select copyrighted imagery from PicApp content partners and post them in seconds to their web site or blog to illustrate their comments. Images streamed from PicApp’s partners carry non-intrusive advertisements related to the content. Revenue is shared with the content partner.

“Getty Images is committed to protecting the livelihood and work of its photographers and this partnership enables our photographers to benefit from a new revenue stream,” said Brooks McMahon, vice president, business development, Getty Images. “Through PicScout’s innovative PicApp solution, this emerging customer segment is now able to legally license our award-winning imagery to bring their stories to life.”

Interested bloggers can contact PicApp (www.picapp.com) about participating in the closed beta trial.

About PicScout
PicScout is the leading technology services provider to the digital content industry. For years, the company’s flagship ImageTracker™ has been the industry standard application for helping visual assets owners control and monitor the distribution of their proprietary images across all media. Through its PicApp platform (www.picapp.com), PicScout allows online publishers to quickly and easily post creative and editorial images to blogs and web sites. PicScout headquarters are in San Francisco. The company has a development and operations center in Herzelia, Israel.

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Technorati tags: PicApp, PicScout, Israel Web Tour

Media Contacts:
Kelly Taylor/Kimberly Uberti
The Bohle Company
Kelly@bohle.com/kim@bohle.com