[fuzlim]

When a photographer takes a picture, the photographer owns that image for as long as it exists.

Even if I were to commission a photographer to take a picture of my face, I could never own the picture, nor the rights to reproduce it.

This is just very normal copyright law. If you dont' like copyright, just say so.

[HiTech RedNeck]

When a photographer takes a picture, the photographer owns that image for as long as it exists.

For the duration specified by copyright law, if not assigned to someone else. Currently in the USA 95 years, or lifetime +

Even if I were to commission a photographer to take a picture of my face, I could never own the picture, nor the rights to reproduce it.

If the photographer transferred rights to you, either afterwards or as a condition of a contract under which he took the picture (work for hire) you could.

[HiTech RedNeck]

The point being that Corbis seems to be playing favorites. Lefties take its photos without permission, OK! Righties do the same, SUE EM!

[FreedomCalls]

Even if I were to commission a photographer to take a picture of my face, I could never own the picture, nor the rights to reproduce it.

But without a model release from you, the photographer could never sell it nor sell the the rights to reproduce it, to a third party.

[weegee]

Corbis can't choose to selectively enforce their copyright.

Also you need to read the Constitution. Nothing carries a copyright "forever". Everything is supposed to enter the public domain after a reasonable period of time in which the owner has exclusive use (as is the case with patents).

"Fair use" permits some legal use of someone else's work before that copyright expires.

Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

Copyrights now are extended for over 100 years. Hardly the "limited time" the founders intended for the "authors/inventors" to have with their creations. Their creations' copyrights now long outlive the creators.