My Account Blocked

Allsa

« on: June 25, 2009, 07:49 »

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My Fotolia account has been blocked and I need to contact Chad Bridwell as soon as possible. I'm using this forum because I don't have access to the Fotolia forums. This is all because of a misunderstanding that I can clear up. Chad, if you are reading this, I responded to your email, please call me.
Linda Bucklin (AlienCat)


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Squat

« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2009, 08:24 »

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Linda, the phone to fotolia is under the logo on their page... top left corner,
718-577-1321


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Allsa

« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2009, 08:36 »

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Quote from: tan510jomast on June 25, 2009, 08:24

Linda, the phone to fotolia is under the logo on their page... top left corner,
718-577-1321

I was so freaked I didn't see that - thanks for letting me know. I called but couldn't get through, so I left a message.


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michey

New Member

« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2009, 17:42 »

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another fotolia blocked account...


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PixelBytes

Premium Member

« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2009, 17:54 »

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Michey, are you saying your account was blocked too? What was the reason given?

Wonder what's going on over there lately...


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michey

New Member

« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2009, 08:07 »

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yes my account was blocked too like other other guys on fotolia, you can read more about this on previous posts.

The weird thing is that they blocked all this accounts in the last 3 months and without any explanation, also for people that "worked" for them for many years.

1) I hope people who had the account blocked don't have a lot of credits left in their accounts because they will not refund you.
2) If your account has been closed it s very very very very hard they will reopen it.
3) If they closed your account probably they did that for copyright infringement.

They are changing politics there, so if you are an illustrator(for photos is very rare) control your portfolio and delete as fast as you can all images that look strange or you are not sure.


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puravida

« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2009, 10:55 »

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This is getting a bit too much. Fotolia is not some two-bit new stock site or some tiny site established with only a P.O. Box or email address. Everything is there with phone numbers,etc. You don't hear of contributors being banned by them other than the handful who have been posting these mysteriously unjustified (in their own words) ban. You get banned if you infringe on the agreement, as michey admits: ie. copyright infringement. Property rights, intellectual rights, copyright,etc.. or if you are exclusive elsewhere, or RM,etc.. I think if your cause of banned is as unjustified as some say, you won't have a problem with Fotolia, or any of the Big 6 for all that matters.
I cannot believe that it is always Fotolia's fault. They did not stay in business this long by screwing their contributors. Enough said already.


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timburton

« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2009, 23:37 »

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this sucks. Sounds like a con


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michey

New Member

« Reply #8 on: July 02, 2009, 12:23 »

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Quote from: puravida on July 01, 2009, 10:55

hey puravida i don't admit nothing, i am ok and i think aliencat is ok too so speak for yourself only please.
there is people on fotolia that have total stolen images, take his money and goodbye...

maybe i am wrong, but look at the winner of the video contest that won 3000 credits, i am not sure but his images (only flags) look like very very similar to some other images on wikipedia and other sites...


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puravida

« Reply #9 on: July 02, 2009, 13:26 »

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michey, don't get me wrongly. I did not say you or anyone here are banned for stealing images. I took your point 3) at face value without prejudice, to mean that you know that perharps some images you took infringe upon copyright; not that you or aliencat or OP stole someone's image(s).
There are many intellectual property that many posters unknowingly make photos of. eg. to give a simple example: Eiffel tower by night. Nightscapes with logos,etc...
I did not point a finger as you call it at you ,etc... I merely indicated that there are signed agreement and rules contributors must abide . and sometimes, we (unknowingly) break them. if it keeps getting broken, we get banned.

Another thing, when you get banned, or anything as critical as this, you don't put this in the forum . Instead, you write Support, or as OP did, call the site. Putting it in the forum only strengthen the impression that you don't know how to deal with business issues through the proper channels.

Going on the forum and badmouthing Fotolia, IS,etc.. is yet another sure way to 1) get banned (2) get ignored
by the powers that be on the site. Stock Agencies are like any other businesses,
you don't simply pick up the phone or walk into their office and scream at the secretary, and expect the manager to say, "OK, sorry, we will work this out !"
instead, you get thrown out by security, with no tolerance .
I hope you catch my drift. I am not pointing any finger. Why would I do that?
I have better things to do, like make more images to submit.


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michey

New Member

« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2009, 07:27 »

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Maybe i was not very clear.
if your account is blocked they will not speak you anymore, they will not refund you the credit left in your account and This is not very "professional".
If i work for a serious agency or a private client, if there is a whatever problem (mine or their), they speak to me and we can try to solve it and i am not speaking only about fotolia but also all other kind of microstock agencies have same problem.
Hey guy we are speaking about 20-30 cents per image and for a decent earning we have to put thousand of images.
Sorry again if i write my problems here but where have i to write then?
Sorry if i see almost 100 credits lost for credit card refused on fotolia after 2-3 months the image is selled.


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loop

« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2009, 09:40 »

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Copyrigth infringmenteis something that have to be dealt with by inspectors. Contributot can't know if the Eiffel tower Eiffel can'y be shot by nigth or if the Taj Majal can't be shot at five past noon. The file is rejected and that's all. If the file sneaks, it's the inspector's guilt, and the contributor can't be blamed.


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click_click

« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2009, 09:59 »

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Quote from: loop on July 06, 2009, 09:40

If the file sneaks, it's the inspector's guilt, and the contributor can't be blamed.

Couple of points:

1. We all signed a contract that we will NOT upload copyrighted material from other authors (unless you have a release of course). Which means that it is our responsibility to check BEFORE we upload if the image is allowed for sale.

In travel photography where probably most photographers have problems of not knowing what is protected and what not, it wouldn't hurt to do a quick research about your subjects before uploading.

I haven't heard of that a contributor has been banned because he uploaded an image of the Eiffel tower at night. If you try to do that 5 times in a row I can see why someone gets banned but so far I've only seen contributors banned because of image theft or using someone's image in their composition without a release.

2.

Quote

They are changing politics there, so if you are an illustrator(for photos is very rare) control your portfolio and delete as fast as you can all images that look strange or you are not sure.

This statement gives me a creepy feeling... It kind of sounds like that you're waiting for your stolen images to be found and then act quickly to make it look like you don't know what happened? I can't see what this would have to do with "...changing politics..."

It's yours or it's not yours. The contract states if it's not yours - don't upload it. It's actually really simple.


« Last Edit: July 06, 2009, 10:01 by click_click »	Ignore \| Logged

madelaide

Premium Member

« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2009, 10:23 »

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Quote from: loop on July 06, 2009, 09:40

Is it Eiffel Tower at night or Eiffel Tower at night during the light show that happens hourly or so? I thought it was the latter. I didn't know that Taj Mahal had this restriction - but then I have never been to India!


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RacePhoto

« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2009, 12:47 »

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Quote from: madelaide on July 06, 2009, 10:23

Quote from: loop on July 06, 2009, 09:40

Light show and it's never be upheld in court. (trivia)

Monkey see, monkey do, so much for common sense. If it was common, more people would have it. Grin

Same as why one site will accept and image and it sells well and another will reject it for "copyright" when there is no infringing. One site asked for proof that I had the right to shoot some editorial images. Hey folks, it's editorial / news, no rights required! I sent them the proof, but it's dumb.

Seems like most of the blocked FT accounts are either CC transactions from stolen cards, not the fault of the contributor. Or vectors that look very similar to others, kind of like someone lifted the original and made some mods to it and called it their own. Why they don't answer, I can't understand, but I suspect that while things are being investigated, they lock the account.