Oh, really? I don’t think so. “Get out and don’t reply” e-mail WAS termination of contract. Contributors were invited to REAPPLY. _(“If you are interested in selling with PhotoDune and Elements in the future, you’ll always be welcome to reapply when we reopen applications to the public (we hope you do).” After such a kind of insulting and arrogant e-mail, PhotoDune’s not right, but obligation is to delete all files immediately, to payout contributors without further delay and to close account on their demand. It’s funny to talk about limits and “meeting threshold” in this situation, especially as a positive thing. You are talking about scheduled payment, when everything goes well, according to agreement, but I am talking about this specific situation. In this situation, if you hold our money. you are expected to pay interest. We are talking about big number of contributors and big amount of money, in total.
Regarding changing rules on the run, I have seen lot of them working with PhotoDune. Introduction of author’s fee instead of % was one of them, so PhotoDune managed to pay 0.14$ per sold file! Really? The lowest royalty, ever! And this big change, improvement etc., what is this? This is another change on the run, and the last one with me here.
I don’t know who created this famous “get out” e-mail? The elephant in glass shop would make better job. All of this could be done in a better way. As my colleague said above, sorry - damage is done, official letter came, non-official wishy-washy spin, explanations and excuses can’t help too much.
I appreciate that none of this is what you wanted to hear, but I feel they’re important things that needed to be pointed out. I also understand that your task is to follow posts and to post official replies; but, you’d better say “we” instead of “they”. And regarding “breaching of contracts or termination of agreements”, are you quite sure you are on green side? I am not sure… Anyway, I am not eager to take part in this official forum here, there are many other places on the network for discussion what really happened here. I just want all my files deleted, earnings payed and account closed. Now. I don’t want you giving customers some time to download my items to another place. It would be real abuse.
I don’t want you to give customers some time to download my items to another place. I can’t delete more than 1000 files one by one, I kindly ask you to delete all my files immediately, including those waiting for review, send me my money (requested on 6thFeb) and close my account . Can we expect some interest? We are talking about big number of affected contributors and big amount of money, in total?
Yea was wondering what happens with the interest in that time, until the payout.
Are you for real? Figuring out the best way to pay?
Just delete the damn photos and payout whatever is left on the account through automated process. Probably need a simple script to run.
attempt to pay authors? how about just pay the authors? you created this mess, you sort it out. disgrace really. pay up.
Mine wasn’t an ‘official reply’, it was my observations as an author and as a person. My only official replies are deleting, editing, moving or merging threads. I got the same “get out” email as you.
Difficult to believe you are able to separate two different roles? To act as a staff member, and to share observations as an author and as a person? Congratulations, but your reply still sounds like “official” reply.
So, what are you doing here? There are more than 200 stock agencies outside, I can list them by heart… I am familiar and can recommend 10 or 20 top performing. They are pleasant and easy for cooperation - good sales, clear rules, fair royalties, logical and timely reviews, no arrogancy - quite opposite of today’s PhotoDune. Author and person in you would probably go to better place, but Moderator holds the ground? (end salary)… Fill free to delete this post if you find it too offensive (as Team member), but think about (as an author and as a person) 
I don’t find it offensive, it just makes a few incorrect assumptions. Firstly, that I get paid for moderating. I don’t. That I’m a staff member. I’m not. You also assume I’m not aware of any other stock sites… I sell my work on several different websites.
It probably sounds like an official reply, because we’re discussing legal obligations, contracts and agreements, so it has to have a bit of an official sound to it. I can’t provide advice on terms and conditions using casual assumptions, interpretive dance or a couple of humorous memes. I save those replies for threads that aren’t talking about contracts, terms and agreements.
Although, as I’m not a member of staff, these are just my interpretations of the agreements… they’re not official Envato responses. But I’m confident they’re correct interpretations.
And I guess a couple of years studying law at college in a failed attempt at becoming a lawyer, would add a slightly more official tone to things. Got to get my moneys worth somehow.
Really? My account still shows the $50.00 thresholds, and my final payment reminder (ticket no. 720025) has been left unanswered for a couple of weeks now.
Also, it goes without saying that Envato is obliged to pay every cent to every author and technically, there are no any “minimum requirements for different payout providers” as it has been stated in jamesgiroux’s earlier post.
As for you personally, SpaceStockFootage, I’d appreciate it if you would refrain from making further misleading and untrue statements here, period.
I’ve not said anything that’s untrue. The official minimum withdrawal is $50. Any Photodune authors who don’t sell anything on any of the other marketplaces, will be able to withdraw their earnings even if they don’t meet that threshold.
When that will happen, I don’t know, but it will. So (in this instance) they are reducing the thresholds.
Hey Mate, when do you shut my account down and when do I get the final payment? Cheers
One thing to note… accounts aren’t being shut down, the photos are just being deleted from your portfolio. There’s a few reasons for that:
A) You may want to apply to submit photos at some point in the future
B) You may still want to buy content from Envato.
C) You may want to sell, or already have, items on other Envato marketplaces
D) So you keep your badges, access to downloads, and any enhanced royalty rates if you have an exclusive account.
If you do want to delete your account, you can find the details here:
If I am paid for my time re-uploading after spending hours doing this previously I might consider uploading again but PD is extremely deluded if it thinks we will be submitting again to possibly have our files deactivated again.
I’m pretty sure they’re not under the impression that everyone is going to upload their files again… but even if just a few do, or even just one person does… then (combined with the other reasons why they’re not deleting accounts) it makes sense to keep everyone’s accounts open. Otherwise they’re uploading all their files and having to set up an account, enter tax information, create a profile etc.
Envato should really start working on establishing trust again, more details on the plans would be very welcome.
We get some shady sugar coated plans for a year and then we get a bombshell dropped on our heads, it’s the same with elements and other current developments. There are some shiny example when Envato did it correctly but lately, they are rare.
I am a bit unsettled and anxious on what’s really coming on ThemeForest, after seeing this drastic moves on Photodune.
Don’t get me wrong I am all about shaving and trimming but the manner on which it is being done is giving me a scare.
Where’s my money. Get it done already. Disgrace.
Did the new system started yet? If yes, How can I upload pictures?
Hi Folks
It is now one month that I received the infamous email saying, and I quote, “As part of our library-wide assessment of photos on PhotoDune, we’ve done a review of your portfolio. Unfortunately, the sample we looked through resulted in a very high number of photos that did not meet our new library standards.
Over the coming weeks we’ll be removing your PhotoDune portfolio as part of our clean up process.”
Since then, I have been waiting to see my portfolio erased from the Photodune/Envato website and also to get paid the existing balance on my account. I know the balance is very small but it is mine and the result of my effort creating some pictures that other people considered good enough to spend money on them.
One month after the announcement of my unwanted portfolio nothing has happened yet.
Well, this nothing has happened yet statement IS NOT QUITE RIGHT. My portfolio keeps selling!!! 
Yes, there is customers out there thinking that my pictures are not as useless as Envato decided they were.
Right now what worries me is the idea of having Envato making money with my unwanted pictures and not paying me. the due balance.
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ENVATO?
Yeah … not professional at all. But at least, some clarity. I now know I will cancel my account as quickly as possible. You guys (Photodune / Envato) should look at other sites first … learn from professionals … do not try and shoot for the moon when you can’t even spell ethics. Pathetic !!!
confirme[quote=“SpaceStockFootage, post:128, topic:90127”]
There’s no termination of any contract or agreement. They’re just going to be removing your files, which has always been their right to do so, and they’re informing you that’s going to happen in due course.
[/quote]
I am back in the office, so we can continue this legality topic, as the most important. I appreciate your opinion, but I can’t accept it as correct and in good faith. I reconsidered everything said above and consulted a friend - lawyer in EU. After reading official letter, he confirmed my opinion - the contract was terminated by PhotoDune. The key word was “reapply”.
They have right to delete some files, some of them (not sure for all of them), but if they invite the other party to reapply to submit in the future, that means the other party is out of business.[quote=“SpaceStockFootage, post:140, topic:90127”]
One thing to note… accounts aren’t being shut down, the photos are just being deleted from your portfolio. There’s a few reasons for that:
A) You may want to apply to submit photos at some point in the future
[/quote]
You see, you also use the same expression, “apply to submit”. What does it mean? Staff member, moderator, anybody who is informed avoids to explain this. Is (maybe future) contributor expected to pass some tests, to send his best work to be accepted (again) and allowed to submit, or to pay annual fee, or something similar? If so, today’s contributor is kicked out and have to fulfill some new requirements to submit. That means existing contract is terminated. Full stop.
Of course, every party has legal right to terminate the contract, but the other party also has some rights. After sending mentioned e-mail, PhotoDune has no right to keep other party’s files, to continue to sell them, to keep author’s earnings for undefined term without paying interests, to keep affected author’s account active, all this without author’s explicit permission. We are talking about a number of authors and a large amount of money in total. In addition to being unfair, Photodune makes a serious violation of the contributors’ rights. That’s my and my lawyer’s final conclusion. This all looks like a huge fraud. Let’s see what would the court say…