Bill Gates' extensive archives of the world's most famous photos have been sold to Visual China Group (VCG). 

Corbis, the photography archive owned by Bill Gated, inked a deal with VCG that transferred the control of culturally important photos such as Rosa Parks on a bus, Jimi Hendrix playing at the Woodstock Festival, scandalous Marilyn Monroe on a subway grate with her skirt blowing in the wind, and Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue. 

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"The transaction strengthens our dominant position in China's image industry, enhances our core competence in the global high-end image market, and marks a significant milestone on our journey of globalization," said Amy Liang, VCG's chief executive officer.

Some experts and critics have expressed concern over this deal considering the fact that the Corbis archive include the famous 'Tank Man' photo, which shows a Chinese man facing tanks in Beijing during the Tiananmen Square protests. 

Although widely seen in other parts of the world, any use of the photo of the Tank Man is strictly prohibited in China. Those involved in the sale said that they do not expect this deal to change anything as the photo will still be censored in China even though the license has changed hands.

VCS purchased Corbis via its affiliate Unity Glory International. Getty Images, Corbis' rival, will distribute the photos in all countries except China. 

Craig Peters, Getty's senior vice president for business development, assured that they will protect the availability of politically sensitive images. 

TagsBill Gates, Tiananmen Square Protests, Corbis, Visual China Group