How does IMDB get its content?

If you look under their Help, it shows that people are invited to provide the content, but presumably in-house people knock it into shape.  The thing about IMDB is that it is a database.  If the films go into one table, the directors, actors, et al go into another, etc.  then so much can be done to give the website the interesting angles it does.  It is an Amazon company so they have the resources to maintain the database.

As regards posters, etc. I once looked into the way cinema clubs were run (in UK).  From what I can remember the film companies have tremendous control over even the posters used to advertise a film.  Once a film has finished its' run at the venue, all materials have to be returned, not destroyed.  So I would think that the film companies allow IMDB a licence to use these materials, though I notice that IMDB allow third parties to licence their content.

Both the industry and movie fans: http://imdb.com/help/show_leaf?infosource

Thanks for your help, however it still doesn't really answer how sites like IMDB, RottenTomato etc..  get things like art work, pictures of movie scenes etc...  I'm not just referring to the big sites, im talking about any/every movie type site out there.  Is there a way to acquire this content legally?


Fingers are crossed! ;-)