Now I'm mad!

[Melany]

I posted a link to my photo the other day in a thread about a foreign agency that wants to use my photo.
In that same thread, I posted a link (unrelated) to a sleeze bag who stole the same photo and used on his blog.

I left him some comments and he took my photo down, but not before leaving a snarky response:

I understand how it works, but the thing is: most people don't reply to messages or even leave a proper address for correspondence. I have tried this method earlier, and sometimes I have to wait weeks to get a Yes or No. Some never reply. This unnecessarily delays publication of articles. So I do it the other way. If anybody dislikes using their materials, I remove them. No questions asked.

You will be disappointed when you learn how much dollars I made from your picture. People like you who think that they can snap a picture of a public monument and sell it for $500 can't appreciate the effort it takes to research, acquire resources and write an article, often for peanuts.

Honestly, I can't even understand how anybody can copyright a mediocre picture of a mediocre building on a public place. But then, copyright laws are all messed up.

I have removed your picture. Where should I send my condolence note for your lost $500?

According to this idiot's profile, he lives in Dehli, India. Anyone know how I can find the host for amusingplanet.com? I'd like to let them know what's going on. I just don't know how to find the host.

Meanwhile, I plan to go through his blogs and leave posts in each of the other stolen photos with a copy/paste of his response.

I found this photo by viewing my stats on Flickr, and noticed some links coming from that link. I recommend you check yours as well.

[Tom]

Amusingplanet probably won't care. Unless you registered the copyright and kept great record about the abuse, there is nothing you can do. Blow it off and move on.

[auddii]

Wow, nice response. But not surprising. Everyone thinks their work is hard and they make little on it and it's worth far more. However, everyone else's work is worhtless.

Random question. How do you check who refers to your site on flickr? I can see referrers from today but that's it. Do I need to check daily? (Like that's ever going to happen.)

[Melany]

His blog is hosted by blogger.com, owned by Google. I'm filing a copywrite infringement complaint now. I just found and read their terms of service. He obviously has failed to comply.


Audrey, click on your 'stats" and then on the histogram thingie, click on one of the points. It's easier if you just make it a habit to check daily and see where people come from.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Melany

His blog is hosted by blogger.com, owned by Google. I'm filing a copywrite infringement complaint now. I just found and read their terms of service. He obviously has failed to comply.


Audrey, click on your 'stats" and then on the histogram thingie, click on one of the points. It's easier if you just make it a habit to check daily and see where people come from.

He removed it when asked as is required. If you didn't file for a copyright for your picture, there is nothing you can do. It really doesn't matter he is a dick. Google isn't going to do anything to him. Even if you write your letter, Google will basically say "I sure am glad that he already removed it, thanks for your letter! Bing sucks, Google"

[Melany]

Crap! I found another one. I did a google search for "World's smallest skyscraper" and got a lot of blog hits. The bottom 2 photos here are mine.
That's the 4th blog I've found this photo on (the only interior though)

I replaced the file on Flickr with a big-honking watermark. Hopefully it'll stop any future thefts. Weird, this one and the amusingplanet links didn't show up in tinyeye searchs. Now I wonder how many others are out there.

[txdoc]

Melany,
start registering your images.
It is very simple and you can do this online and register a bunch of them at the same time. Register them BEFORE you post them online anywhere, so you can register them in batches as 'unpublished'.
This happened to me all the time several years ago, when I started scanning my transparencies and posting them on a website. After the 5th stolen (and sold), I just made whole scans of the transparencies that showed the side of the 8x10 with the film label and everything, and registered them all before posting anything online. Since then, I started registering everyhting I care about with the Copyright office. Once they are registered, I still add a watermark to any scan or digital image that goes online. It is a large watermark that runs diagonally all across the image - so even if someone plans to copy and crop the watermark out, he/she will not be left with a usable image. Also, I lower the resolution of the online images to the point where you can hardly print a 5x7. And I put a no-right-click javascript on every webpage I post.
Granted, someone can still try to steal, but they won't be able to print at any usable resolution, and will have my giant watermark with my website on whatever they print.

Seriously, registration is so simple and so cheap that it is not worth risking it. If your images are already on a website, you also have the option of registering the whole thing (website with images and wording) - I'm not sure how that works step by step but if you go to the website of the US Copyright Office there are instructions on how to e-register your work.

[StevenGWebb]

Wrong as it is, the internet is vulnerable to picture snagging and operating systems like Windows include something like a snipping tool to make it easier. If your work is valuable and you want to protect it from theft, don't leave it out in the open where it can be walked off with.

[Lexie]

Photo Wikipedia! Not so sure about that! Guess it would be easy enough to check though. I shot the same building after seeing a photo shot by Wynam Menizer & reading an article in a magazine. It's on film and not scanned though.

I have no clue why some feel they are entlited to steal images!!! Never knew how to check "stats" on my site until now.

Hope you get it settled!

[toverman]

I don't condone image theft AT ALL, but Flickr is a photo-sharing site. I'd ask users to give me a photo credit for any images of mine they use and move on.

[carrbowl]

Every time I see this conversation, it makes me wonder how many photographers copied music for yourself or friends and didn't think it was a big deal? I beat my head against the wall trying to teach my teenagers how wrong it is...