Copyright Infringement - Have you been ripped off?

JennyGW said:
I believe this Facebook page is using images without the owners consent.
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LOL.. you reckon? :)

Just a silly pic sharing site with a pitiful number of page likes. Most of memes with text etc... I wouldn't be bothered if I found one of mine on there. Just not worth the trouble. The page creator also does say "We are here to share interesting photos. I do not own any of these photos or videos. All copyrights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended." Not that provides any indemnity whatsoever, but they're just sharing interesting images. No big deal.
 
Probably, Maybe I don't know as I've never spent that long looking for infringement...if I happen across a commercial venture making use of one of my images I'd pursue them, but for a personal blog or someone on Facebook I honestly tend to not give two hoots
 
Thousands and thousands just like it on Facebook. I could sit here for weeks looking at FB pages that give no credit to the photographers. This is a risk we have to take when posting pictures on the internet. If you can see a picture then you can take it, even if it's just as simple as a screenshot of a low res picture, it's that simple.

Sorry to be blunt but I think you're p***ing into the wind if you plan on fighting them all lol:p
 
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I think the consensus is that if the site(s) are sharing the image as is and all being well attributing it back to the source e.g. I have seen a couple of mine on Pinterest then the advice is not to sweat it. However I found a link via Pinterest where someone had taken the image and turned it from colour to B&W and dropped the attribution...............this was on a Tumblr site now that got me wound up for a while but I have let it go ~ just a tad annoyed at the "free" approach that now exists but the genie is out of the bottle in this issue now!
 
I fail to see the harm in it. Why do people get all hot under the collar about this? If it worries you, just stop posting pics on the internet because you'll NEVER stop stuff like this happening.
 
CaveDweller said:
Thousands and thousands just like it on Facebook. I could sit here for weeks looking at FB pages that give no credit to the photographers. This is a risk we have to take when posting pictures on the internet. If you can see a picture then you can take it, even if it's just as simple as a screenshot of a low res picture, it's that simple.

Sorry to be blunt but I think you're p***ing into the wind if you plan on fighting them all lol:p
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Maybe not on my own?
 
JennyGW said:
Thanks, I've already reported the page :)
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Well... there's probably another 100,000 out there, so that's the rest of your life tied up. Have fun LOL
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
And now it's gone :)
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So it has !! :D Score 1 !

Also had my first successful take downs on my own images last week :)

I'm not saying any one of us should spend our lives chasing copyright infringements, but if we each made a little effort it would make a difference.

Of course, you could just "LOL" and not bother if you don't care who uses your images. That's your choice.
 
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JennyGW said:
I did something .. my little bit .. how about you?
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I did precisely nothing, nor will I. No one's making any money, and no one was passing work off as theirs, so I don't see a problem. I've got better things to do.
 
Pookeyhead said:
I did precisely nothing, nor will I. No one's making any money, and no one was passing work off as theirs, so I don't see a problem. I've got better things to do.
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I guess you did something: You trolled all over this thread with absolutely no purpose and you got precisely nothing out of it. If you have nothing useful to say, that nothing is the best you can say.
 
I'm sorry my opinion differs from yours.

As a working professional, I had images used without permission all the time. I still do. If I spent the time chasing down every instance of one of my images being used illegally, I would never take another photograph again.

To give you an idea of the extent of the problem, save this image, and drag it into Google Image search to judge the extent of the problem.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23953768/st200-seaview-cafe.jpg

I've had this image removed from so many websites you wouldn't believe it! It keeps cropping up all the time, no matter what lengths I go to in order to prevent it. To remove it would be like painting the forth bridge.

This is just one of hundreds of commercial images I have taken that are used illegally every single day.

The money and time I'd need to expend in order to remove them all would VASTLY outstrip any paltry lost revenue from such crappy websites.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
I'm sorry my opinion differs from yours.

As a working professional, I had images used without permission all the time. I still do. If I spent the time chasing down every instance of one of my images being used illegally, I would never take another photograph again.

To give you an idea of the extent of the problem, save this image, and drag it into Google Image search to judge the extent of the problem.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23953768/st200-seaview-cafe.jpg

I've had this image removed from so many websites you wouldn't believe it! It keeps cropping up all the time, no matter what lengths I go to in order to prevent it. To remove it would be like painting the forth bridge.

This is just one of hundreds of commercial images I have taken that are used illegally every single day.

The money and time I'd need to expend in order to remove them all would VASTLY outstrip any paltry lost revenue from such crappy websites.
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You aren't the only working professional here. I happen to be one, too.

If you don't care who uses your images, then great, good for you!!! I did not search for the Facebook page, it was shoved under my nose and I took all over 20 mins to do something about it.

You make one bad assumption after another. I am wasting my time more speaking to you than I would be chasing infringements and for this reason this is my last reply to you.

Mod edit that last (Removed) comment was un called for!
 
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JennyGW said:
You aren't the only working professional here. I happen to be one, too.

If you don't care who uses your images, then great, good for you!!! I did not search for the Facebook page, it was shoved under my nose and I took all over 20 mins to do something about it.

You make one bad assumption after another. I am wasting my time more speaking to you than I would be chasing infringements and for this reason this is my last reply to you.

Mod edit that last (Removed) comment was un called for!
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I cannot understand why somebody who likes your photos enough to showcase them on a facebook page for no commercial gain or claiming to be their own work would rile you up so much. They have gained nothing and you have lost nothing. Whilst it would be nice if they asked before using I feel your overreaction is pointless. I mean what exactly have you gained from closing down the facebook page?
 
JennyGW said:
You aren't the only working professional here. I happen to be one, too.

If you don't care who uses your images, then great, good for you!!! I did not search for the Facebook page, it was shoved under my nose and I took all over 20 mins to do something about it.

You make one bad assumption after another. I am wasting my time more speaking to you than I would be chasing infringements and for this reason this is my last reply to you.

Mod edit that last (Removed) comment was un called for!
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I'm just trying to save your sanity. The more you look, the more you'll find, and before you know it, you're spending more time writing take down correspondence than you are taking photos. I know because I used to be as evangelical about this as you seem to be. It was a waste of time, and an exercise in frustration. If it's not costing you money, then my advice is just forget about it. Can you imagine how many websites are hosting illegally used images from Nick Knight or Tim Walker? You think they spend all day writing take down letters to their hosting services? It's impossible to stop it, and whatever you do is a mere drop in a massive ocean.

Mod edit Removed for the same reason.
 
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I have an idea.
how about a group hug before the comments get any more personal
and the thread ends up getting locked?
 
At least the two main antagonists seem to be evenly matched in motivation ...

I've had text that I'd written (and badged as copyright) ripped off for commercial purpose, but the issue was small, a matter of ethical principle more than anything, and I chose not to pursue it. I take the view that the perpetrator will have to account for himself in the court of a higher realm, and in the meantime I might as well get on with my own life in a positive fashion ...
 
Yeah.... Save your energy for when your work is used by someone worth going after, who clearly knows better and has the resources to remunerate you for your work. If I spent 20 minutes on each of the sites that were using just that one image, I'd need to take a day, possibly more off work in order to accomplish it. I'd never get a penny in fees from any of them. Most of them haven't removed my copyright notice, so it's some free rep. Those that have removed it.. well... (shrug)... so some eastern European car blog is using an image I took 10 years ago. It's not as if anyone's going to actually buy an image of a 13 year old Mondeo any more is it? That ship sailed a long time ago. So what exactly would I accomplish except some petty "It's mine, and you can't play with it" victory. IF I found it on the Ford website, then that would be a different matter entirely...

Choose your battles.
 
I'm with David/Pooks. What is there to get upset about when you've lost nothing, and wouldn't even know about if you didn't go searching for it? That's the way of the internet and is not going to change. Most people don't understand copyright, and don't care even when it is explained to them. With commissioned work, like weddings/portraits/events etc they're bewildered there's a law that says they may not post pictures of themselves which they've paid for. They have a point.

I sympathise with professionals that can and do lose money, but they have to move with the times and change their business model. Get properly paid for shooting and supplying original images, and don't depend on extra re-use fees.
 
Hmm .. I've mentioned this before: I did NOT go searching for it. It was pushed under my nose and I spent 20 mins doing something about it - and it worked.
 
JennyGW said:
Hmm .. I've mentioned this before: I did NOT go searching for it. It was pushed under my nose and I spent 20 mins doing something about it - and it worked.
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Fair enough to you i don't blame you for trying to protect your copyright :)
 
Is it the case in UK law that if you do not attempt to protect your copyright you can lose it?
 
simonblue said:
Fair enough to you i don't blame you for trying to protect your copyright :)
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Hi Simon,

They weren't actually my images. It just p***es me off to see people stealing. It was an exercise in seeing what could be done as well as getting that particular FB page taken down.

Just maybe, if we each spent 20 minutes now and then, it would make some small difference.

I did spend a little time searching for my own images in the wild and did manage to get them take down, too.

Thanks,
Jenny
 
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JennyGW said:
Hi Simon,

They weren't actually my images. It just p***es me off to see people stealing. It was an exercise in seeing what could be done as well as getting that particular FB page taken down.

Just maybe, if we each spent 20 minutes now and then, it would make some small difference.

I did spend a little time searching for my own images in the wild and did manage to get them take down, too.

Thanks,
Jenny
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How did you go about searching for your own images getting used by others? Is there something you can do to check or is it just a case of looking through many pages and having a look? Not that any of my shots are worth taking or anything lol just curious.
 
JennyGW said:
Hi Simon,

They weren't actually my images. It just p***es me off to see people stealing. It was an exercise in seeing what could be done as well as getting that particular FB page taken down.

Just maybe, if we each spent 20 minutes now and then, it would make some small difference.

I did spend a little time searching for my own images in the wild and did manage to get them take down, too.

Thanks,
Jenny
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So how did you get photos you have no rights over removed?
 
CaveDweller said:
How did you go about searching for your own images getting used by others? Is there something you can do to check or is it just a case of looking through many pages and having a look? Not that any of my shots are worth taking or anything lol just curious.
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The exif information hadn't been removed. So they showed up in a simple Google image search :)
 
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