WWW Image Theft

[Brian Vuillemenot]

Hello all,

I found a website that is using one of my panoramic images of Pigeon Point lighthouse without my permission. Here's a link:

http://www.lighthousebaptistministries.org/

The funny thing is that I never posted this image on my website; the only place that I posted it was on this forum in one of the image threads! Apparantly, people are stealing images off of this site for their own personal use. Since the website is for a church, I probably would have let them use the image for free for the website if they had contacted me and asked nicely. However, it definately irks me that they stole my image. If this happened to you, how would you proceed? Thanks for the advice!

[Daniel_Buck]

Unfortunately alot of people feel that if it's online, it's free for the taking. Odds are, the person who made the website doesn't even know where the image came from, it was probably given to him by whoever the website was made for.

Alot of search engines can find images that are posted in forums, so most likely it was used by someone who is not a user here.

As for what to do about it, I guess that depends on if you want to try and get some compensation for it or not. Me, I usually just send an email asking them to take my image down, or if I don't mind it's usage, I ask for proper credit. Most of the time they do so without a fuss. Usually, it's very small websites that most likely don't bring in any money. So I don't try and ask for compensation. if it were on a commercial website that does business, I would most definitely be contacting them about a compensation/usage fee.

But as far as I am concerned, anything I upload, I consider good as stolen. It's just the small web image so it can't really be printed, but it can be used for web stuff (as you've seen!) That's the risk that we take when uploading images, unfortunate, but true.

[Richard K.]

Can't say I blame him, that's a beautiful made-to -order image...
Just kidding...did you notice that if you view just the image, your name is in the URL...so it is attributed, kind of and probably unknowingly....
I would ask the good reverend to at least add your name under the image with a "thanks to". It's the Christian thing to do...

[Kirk Gittings]

What I do for what I consider Naive Thieves. First document the usage (save the file and have a friend do the same). Then send them a fair invoice with a note saying if this goes to court it will be easy to win triple damages. I have had good responce a few time with this. If this had been a business that had approached me about usage and then tried to do an endrun, I would not be so nice.

[Curt Palm]

ironic that they have a copyright notice at the bottom of their page

[Ash]

I'm sure they'd be happy for you to attend their legal seminar:

http://lighthousebaptistministries.o...e914170b7877c8

[Frank Petronio]

Remember that "Save for Web" strips the File Info data from your image by default unless you check the "retain XML" box in preferences. Don't know what that is? You should tag all your images w your copyright notice and contact info -- that way, the "user" won't be able to claim "fair use" after attempted a background search in "good faith". The Orphan Works legislation is passing through congress as we speak, in spite of their other XXXXXXXXXXX legislation (no politics here).

What is even more irritating is the hotlinking -- that's just nasty. Call them on it and educate them. You don't have to sure them, you can even help them out by being charitable. But don't let them get away with it or their so-called designer will just keep doing it.

[john collins]

On the left sidebar they have a notice for an upcoming legal seminar. You might call and ask the good Pastor if they will cover copyright infringement.

[QT Luong]

My approach is to send an invoice with a note stating that this is the last chance for amicable resolution. This generally results in the image being taken down.

[Marko]

Teft is one of the Ten Commandments, FCOL!

One would think a church should know better than to "confuse the ownership" of anything. Especially since they seem to be aware of the concept of "copyright", as Curt pointed out.



I say go after them with double the vengeance and ask them for tripple the usual fee. Once for usage, second for your collection effort and third for teaching them the basics of what they themselves should be preaching (and for what they doubtless regularly pass the plate around...).