MicrostockGroup

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/about

I'd never heard of this site before today, but my google alert (looking for images in use) found these:

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=1272314

The image shown is a watermarked comp from StockXpert, but if you look at the pages that use the image in the collage/montage (not really sure what it is), on the right are some links to the places to get the items put together, and there is a link back to the image page at StockXpert where someone could buy the image if they wanted.

My first reaction was that this is almost like a referral site - these collages are essentially ads - rather than someone improperly using a watermarked comp as a finished part of a website. I can't imagine how this site is going to generate many sales - who buys clothes with a bag, shoes and a stock photo?

If you go to the interface to create a page, they have a tab for "backgrounds" and the only site that sells images (there are a bunch of freebie sites) is StockXpert, so I assume this is a partnership deal that StockXpert explicitly set up? Did I miss an announcement on this?

Thanks for the link - I didn't know about the earlier discussion. Right now the list of sites in their UI only includes StockXpert - perhaps because they were told to stop by everyone else. I posted something in StockXpert's forum to ask what they think.

Hello,
one of my pictures is there : http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=390541 (from Fotolia)
I informed them of this site, and they told me that a standard licence may have been bought by them. They did not even bought a standard licence, and I must say that the sites from where these pictures are taken should consider this and do something to stop such use of their (our...) contents.

same here.... they all have watermarks on them.... 

I've right-clicked the pix.... the quailty is extremely poor.... it's not like they can sell these things...           i think....   

 =tom