OMG, I AM SO FREAKIN' MAD!

[supraman215]

Now I think you need to go back and watermark, right over the middle, of every image!

 

[kkamin]

Calm down.

Make sure you have your copyright info and contact info embedding in your files metadata.

Don't put watermarks in the center of your image, it looks dumb and ridiculous. Your images are very small and could not get much mileage from an infringer. There is an obsession with new photographers to try to look professional by creating elaborate, ugly watermarks--the irony is that most pros don't watermark their work...the smart ones register their work with the copyright office.

Check out this tutorial:
https://asmp.org/tutorials/copyright-overview.html

You can register your images online. You can register them in large batches. It isn't very costly.

If someone does infringe your work, having them registered with the Copyright office will allow you ask for attorney fees and statutory damages if you win the infringement case. If you don't register your images you can still take the case the court since you are the creator, but you are not afforded as much protection and cannot ask for attorney fees or statutory damages.

The key word is statutory damages. You can win up to $150,000 in statutory damages per image if the infringer was knowledgeably stealing your image.

There is a service that takes "screen shots" of websites to help build infringement cases. I apologize I cannot recall the name of the business but you could google it. Save your emails/messages from the malicious infringer.

The above link is a good place to start to learn about your rights and your legal recourse in these situations. I'm not a lawyer and this is not meant to be legal advice.

 

[Scatterbrained]

Calm down.

Make sure you have your copyright info and contact info embedding in your files metadata.

Don't put watermarks in the center of your image, it looks dumb and ridiculous. Your images are very small and could not get much mileage from an infringer. There is an obsession with new photographers to try to look professional by creating elaborate, ugly watermarks--the irony is that most pros don't watermark their work...the smart ones register their work with the copyright office.

Check out this tutorial:
https://asmp.org/tutorials/copyright-overview.html

You can register your images online. You can register them in large batches. It isn't very costly.

If someone does infringe your work, having them registered with the Copyright office will allow you ask for attorney fees and statutory damages if you win the infringement case. If you don't register your images you can still take the case the court since you are the creator, but you are not afforded as much protection and cannot ask for attorney fees or statutory damages.

The key word is statutory damages. You can win up to $150,000 in statutory damages per image if the infringer was knowledgeably stealing your image.

There is a service that takes "screen shots" of websites to help build infringement cases. I apologize I cannot recall the name of the business but you could google it. Save your emails/messages from the malicious infringer.

The above link is a good place to start to learn about your rights and your legal recourse in these situations. I'm not a lawyer and this is not meant to be legal advice.

I agree with this. Registering your copyright with the copyright office completely changes the game as far as copyright infringement cases go. Also, you should look into a Digimarc account, they embed data into the image that cannot removed, and then search the internet for your images. When a marked image is found it's impossible for someone to deny they stole your image, and the "marks" are unaffected by resizing or the image.

 

[dmalsr22000]

LATEST UPDATE: First, let me start off by saying that eBay touts it's VeRO program and declares it takes intellectual property theft VERY seriously (cough). That said, here's how it went down.

Found listing and reported it to VeRO dept. Next morning at 6:30am, faxed it off. At 7am emailed them that it was faxed and reiterated all information on there, including link to my website URL (exact page) where it was taken from, email from seller admitting he got it from my website, his selling ID name and the exact item number and a description of the name of the item from the catalogue. The NEXT morning, eBay sends an email saying basically "Thanks. We got your fax but there is some missing information. We need to know the ID of the seller, the item number and the exact URL where the image was removed from". You know, THE STUFF I ALREADY PUT IN THE FAX AND BOTH EMAILS!! Ok, fine, whatever, IMMEDIATELY the (repeat)info goes to them.

That evening at 6:30pm I get an email saying it's being handled by the VeRO dept who takes IP theft "very seriously" (cough). The next afternoon, 4 hours from close of the guys auction (who does have bids on it so he will make money off MY image for HIS item) I emailed them back, reminding them he is about to make money off my image as his auction is almost over. The response? Three hours later they respond telling me "Thank you for contacting the VeRO department. Unfortunately, we have no record of any email from you. If you believe someone has taken your intellectual property and wish to have us investigate, please use the following link to download the VeRO forms, then fax the completed forms to us.

I sent a SCATHING email back! Other than that, all I could do was helplessly watch as the sellers item ended. That was yesterday evening. Just now, at 4:10pm today, I recieved an email saying they concluded their investigation and found the seller had indeed used my picture for his listing and the listing was going to be removed. Oh effin joy and la-di-freakin'-da. I just cant tell you how happy I am that they got right on it for me...since they take it "so seriously".

not surprised they(ebay) dragged their feet. If they pull the photo or interfere with the auction, they won't make any money either.

 

[daarksun]

Sorry about all you are going through, but like someone else stated... it happens all the time.

as for eBay... They don't even do crap if someone wins a bid on your stuff and never pays for it. They shrug you off like nothing.

 

[Paul Ron]

So lesson learned... only post pictures in such lousey resolution on the net that they are stolen they will look like crap if someone tried to use em.

Also if you do post on the internet, expect em to be stolen and regard em as public property because it is so hard to prove they are yours.

 

[Village Idiot]

Know what's worse than having someone steal your product photos? Having them stolen AND used by someone else to sell THEIR item! Know what's worse than that? Confronting the (insert appropriate foul language here) about it, kindly reminding him that it was not public property and politely asking him to please replace it with an image he took and then having the (insert even worse foul language) tell you "quit playing jailhouse attorney because "there's nothing you can do about it so chill out because it's only a stupid picture anyone could take, not a top secret document for a missle or something".

Know what's even worse than all that? Having to jump through all sort of fiery hoops to get the host site to remove MY product shot proven removed from MY website!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, I am so mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sick to DEATH of this happening all the freakin' time! The guy had to take a screen shot of my page and then use it bc it's right-click protected and comes up with a copyright warning if you touch it.

Don't get so angry. Register your work with the copyright office and send invoices + cease and desist letters while letting the offenders know that if payment isn't sent, you'll file a case in small claims court.

I believe if anything were to come of it, they would have to travel to where your business is located. That alone should cost them enough for them to shut up and remove the image.

 

[Village Idiot]

Oh, and please post links and the guy's e-mail. After being contacted by so many concerned photographers, I'm sure he won't do it again.

 

[artoledo]

Oh, and please post links and the guy's e-mail. After being contacted by so many concerned photographers, I'm sure he won't do it again.

Yes please post his contact info. Ill be glad to send in a little note.

 

[anilyzer]

Not resolved yet but I'm working on it. This happens so often on this site, from my website, that I actually have that site's IP department's Copyright Infringement paperwork saved onto my own computer for easier download and quicker faxing.

The thing that makes me so made is his "F-U" attitude. Seriously? Dude, just take it off bc you're busted and you know that you had to do a screen save to even take it in the first place. That's a lot of work to just say "oh well, I can take it if I want".

I found it on eBay being used to sell the same product that is used to sell in my online store. No "it's close so maybe it is, maybe it isn't", it's definitely mine and it's not so easy to take from my site. Guy had to work for it. Just burns me the attitude. Why can't these people just say "sorry, I'll take it down, no harm no foul" and move on with their day?

Just fyi, kind of a side note, but they would in all likelihood not need to do a screen save to get the images.

Even if your javascript blocked IE, they could probably still save them with Firefox, and, if not, there are other slightly more sophisticated utilities which would allow them to grab the photos. If not then they could also assertain the location of the photos from looking at the page source code, or they could also "scrape" the page directories using a script or bot of some kind--essentially "googling" your site's directory tree and saving all images out.

It sucks, I know, but just saying... no need to keep accusing them of grabbing stuff with a printscreen or something, because they probably didn't. Anyways, you are the legal licensed user, so you can feel good about that... do you ever embed meta-data into your images via Photoshop including copyright stuff? Or add watermark with your url or something like that as well... anyways, if they don't care about legality or are in Bolivia or something like that, seems like not much can be done...

 

[Higgs Boson]

Good luck with resolution.

I was wondering how you (or anyone) find your images being used by others? Do you constantly search every website on the internet for your pictures? By accident? Or is there something to track these things for you?

 

[Canon AE-1]

LMAO

That's what they make pipe bombs for, lol.

Or at least leaving a burning paper bag, full of nice warm sh!t on the front porch.

 

[epatsellis]

Good luck with resolution.

I was wondering how you (or anyone) find your images being used by others? Do you constantly search every website on the internet for your pictures? By accident? Or is there something to track these things for you?

google TinEye and install the plugin, then you can answer the question for yourself. Be forewarned however, you will likely find your images spread everywhere.

 

[Higgs Boson]

Good luck with resolution.

I was wondering how you (or anyone) find your images being used by others? Do you constantly search every website on the internet for your pictures? By accident? Or is there something to track these things for you?

google TinEye and install the plugin, then you can answer the question for yourself. Be forewarned however, you will likely find your images spread everywhere.

:thumbup:

 

[thatfornoobs]

I suggest watermarking your images. If you use Photoshop, a full image watermark at about 10% opacity should help you out a lot in the future. Props for right-click protection!