Happy to help if I can, but it does seem that the photos are physical objects and therefore possibly expensive to store/digitize. If someone can help me find the email address of the decision maker there, I'm happy to open or lend support to a conversation with them.
It isn't clear from the blog whether they own only the physical objects or also the copyrights.
On 2/26/11 12:28 PM, Gnangarra wrote:
http://blog.melchersystem.com/2011/02/25/the-fire-this-time/
12 Million Photographs are to be destroyed because liquidators cant find
a buyer?
these arent just random landscape photos, these are photos are from the
fench news agency Sygma
Wikimedia-france, Jimbo, any chance they could find their way to Commons
rather than just being destroyed and lost for ever.......
--
GN.
Photo Gallery: http://gnangarra.redbubble.com
Gn. Blogg: http://gnangarra.wordpress.com