— The latest project from Rick Smolen and David Elliot Cohen, the creators of the wildly popular Day in the Life series — is underway as thousands of photographers work to capture the essence of American life during the days from May 12 to 18. The San Franciso-based project is staffed with the usual cadre of top pro-shooters, but the organizers also have extended the invitation to submit work to amateurs, students and stringers — making the project “the largest collaborative photo project in history,” according to the project’s web site.

The result of one week’s shooting by what project organizers estimate will be “hundreds of thousands” of photographers will be narrowed to 10,000 images that will be published in 53 large-format volumes by Dorling-Kindersley. The America 24/7 series includes a national volume (2003) and one for each state plus New York City and Washington DC (2004) plus TV documentaries, a website and photo exhibitions.

In what Cohen calls “background noise” to the event, HarperCollins — who bought Smolen and Cohen’s companies and the trademark for the Day in the Life name after the success of Day in the Life of America in 1986 — has threatened a lawsuit, according to the New York Times. Smolan and Cohen signed non-compete clauses which they say expired 10 years ago and that, while the “trademark can be protected, a concept is too general to own.” Read more from the NYT.