Someone Has Stolen My Boudoir Images and is Selling Them!

[Norma_S]

I had an interesting call tonight from a prospective client alerting me to another local photog (click on the Gallery of Images link) that has 12 of MY images on their shopping cart site for sale. Just click on the Boudoir Samples to enter the gallery and take a look at 12 of the first 13 that come up. They're all from MY website. She's selling them as a digital download or as prints! She's selling MY clients' images as a download to who ever wants to buy them! And, she's claiming them as examples of her work! She even altered one of them into a B&W!

The girl who called me said she actually called this other photog and asked if those were her pics and she was told yes and that she had the negatives. BS!! Those are mine and I've got the high-res images to prove it.

I called the Photostockplus.com site and left them a VM telling them what was going on. Don't know what they will do.

BUT, WHAT ACTION SHOULD I TAKE? Call this other photog and tell her to take those down immediately? Call a lawyer and get them to send a nasty letter? Find out from that Photostockplus.com site if anyone has purchased them yet? This is not just displaying stolen pics but she's selling them, too!

You can tell I'm steaming!!!

Norma

[Rson]

Great shots, You a PPA member? I would contact them ASAP.

[Norma_S]

Yes, I'm PPA. Good idea, I'm still shocked that someone would do this.

[Tom]

Hope you registered them with the US Copyright office. Otherwise, you have no teeth.

[LanceHaynie]

Originally Posted by Thomas Campbell

Hope you registered them with the US Copyright office. Otherwise, you have no teeth.

I disagree:

"Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. "

Source: U.S. Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

[Ahh!]

Originally Posted by LanceHaynie

I disagree:

"Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. "

Source: U.S. Copyright Office http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

Lance, please read on in your pdf. You will find the "teeth" are more like gums until you file your images with the copyright office...

[Ahh!]

Originally Posted by Norma_S

Yes, I'm PPA. Good idea, I'm still shocked that someone would do this.

They have pretty sharp folks there that can scare the #@!! out of them, and can bleed with their own attourney fees if not actually get damages. But I agree, it is OUTRAGEOUS!

[robert t]

Call and see what kind of response you get, if that doesn't work call in the legal beagle.

[Norma_S]

It's too frackin' bad it's night. I have to steam about this until morning when I call PPA. In the meantime, I'm grabbing screen shots showing that this other person has my pics for sale on their site.

[CaptainG]

Additionally, if she is selling nude images of people to the public without a model release, she could be in big trouble civilly...maybe criminally.

[Ahh!]

Originally Posted by Norma_S

It's too frackin' bad it's night. I have to steam about this until morning when I call PPA. In the meantime, I'm grabbing screen shots showing that this other person has my pics for sale on their site.

Good! Put the crockpot on Warm for the night. I am sure PPA will come out with the knockout blow on the first pass. I'll start the popcorn for tomorrow!

And, yes, model releases are also in play here, naked or not. Seems like for good measure, that houston news outlet may find some interest in this story as well, as long as they don't mess up PPA's play here. But the entertainment value would be interesting. Will they scare the public into demanding tighter control of their "naughty pictures". Or will they caution the public to be sure they are dealing with a true professional and not something else. And how does the public tell the difference? That might be a worm can, too.

[Flores]

2732 county road 603, dayton, tx - Google Maps

[ngoduyviet]

Sorry to hear it Norma, and yeah like others said. Make them pay, punch intended.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Wow, that's terrible, I hope you get it figured out quickly.

I'd also inform any clients that are shown in those photos, they have a right to know that someone is illegally selling their likeness.

[brad]

PhotoShelter will take them down, I'm sure.

PPA should be called to get them involved. Its a benefit you should take advantage of.

The thief should learn to spell Boudoir.