Neon smoker in a window of the Hippy Gypsy "head shop" along historic, turned trendy, Fourth Avenue in Tucson, Arizona

In 2015, documentary photographer Carol Highsmith received a letter from Getty Images accusing her of copyright infringement for featuring one of her own photographs on her own website. It demanded payment of $120. This was how Highsmith came to learn that stock photo agencies Getty and Alamy had been sending similar threat letters and charging fees to users of her images, which she had donated to the Library of Congress for use by the general public at no charge. In 2016, Highsmith has filed a $1 billion copyright infringement suit against both Alamy and Getty stating “gross misuse” of 18,755 of her photographs. “The defendants [Getty Images] have apparently misappropriated Ms. Highsmith’s generous gift to the American people,” the complaint reads. “[They] are not only unlawfully charging licensing fees … but are falsely and fraudulently holding themselves out as the exclusive copyright owner.” According to the lawsuit, Getty and Alamy, on their websites, have been selling licenses for thousands of Highsmith’s photographs, many without her name attached to them and stamped with “false watermarks.” (more: http://hyperallergic.com/314079/photographer-files-1-billion-suit-against-getty-for-licensing-her-public-domain-images/)

The hippie subculture emerged in the United States and other Western countries during the mid-1960s, at a time of social and political upheaval. It was characterized by a rejection of mainstream values, a countercultural approach to life, and a focus on peace, love, and personal freedom. Hippies were known for their liberal attitudes toward sex, drugs, and social issues. They often embraced alternative lifestyles and practiced non-traditional forms of spirituality, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. They also rejected consumer culture and advocated for environmental and social justice causes. The name derived from “hip,” a term applied to the Beats of the 1950s, such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, who were generally considered to be the precursors of hippies. Although the movement arose in part as opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War (1955–75), hippies were often not directly engaged in politics, as opposed to their activist counterparts known as “Yippies” (Youth International Party). The hippie movement was influenced by a number of factors, including the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement, and the counterculture of the Beat Generation. It was also influenced by the psychedelic music scene, which included bands like The Grateful Dead and The Doors. The hippie movement reached its peak in the late 1960s, but its influence can still be seen today in contemporary counterculture and alternative lifestyles.