Did Nothing use stock images in Phone 3's camera demo?
What's the story
Tech brand Nothing has been accused of passing off stock images from professional photographers as samples taken by its latest device, the Phone 3. The controversy erupted after five sample images were found to be licensed photos captured with other cameras. The issue was first reported by The Verge, which confirmed that one of the photographers had anonymously verified their image was not shot using the Phone 3.
Confirmation
Photographer confirmed misuse
The photographer whose work was misrepresented confirmed to The Verge that their image was licensed through the Stills stock photo marketplace. The publication also examined the EXIF data of this particular image, which clearly showed it wasn't taken with a Phone 3. The date stamp on the photo indicated it was captured in 2023, long before the launch of Phone 3 this year.
Image display
Images were displayed on demo units
The five disputed images were showcased on the in-store demo units of Nothing's Phone 3. They included a spiral staircase, a car headlight, a glass, a window, and a woman looking toward the camera - all of which could be licensed through Stills. In response to the controversy, Roman Fox, another photographer who took one of these images (the car headlight), confirmed that Nothing had indeed paid for his photo.
Misleading
Nothing co-founder issues statement
Nothing's demo samples were accompanied by a misleading message: "Judge for yourself. Here's what our community has captured with Phone 3." In the wake of the scandal, Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, issued a statement on X. He claimed that the stock pictures shown on live demo units were placeholders that should have been updated and described the incident as "an unfortunate oversight" with "no ill intent."
Action
Placeholder images were not updated
Evangelidis also explained that an initial version of the live demo unit (LDU) is submitted with placeholders about four months before launch. He said these placeholder pictures are replaced with photo samples through a new version of the LDU, along with final product renders and videos, once mass production begins. However, in this case, he said some live demo units' stock imagery were not updated as they should have been.