I started a new topic for this.



I am not totally sure I understand what is going on.  Can you give a link?

Hi All,

 I zoomed in and found nother name attached to my image on the side of the image. It is www.santabanta.com You might want to take a look at these guys as well. Maybe clearly in their rights but it is news to me.

Best,
Jonathan

Thanks CD,

 I am in discussion with Getty right now but everyone in NY has gone home so I will find out more about it in the morning and make a post. Here is a copy of my shot. I thik you can all see it is mine. That is Maggie and Major on my green couch.

I have been through the Licensing Agreements of IS, SS, StockXpert, DT and BigStock.

I am not an attorney and I am not giving legal advice.

I have read all the paragraphs regarding the posting of our images on any other website and allowing downloads, and none of the sites, in their standard, EL or Special Licenses, allow for the redistribution of an image. Also, if an image is posted on a website, it must be smaller than 800x600.

I feel certain that these images we have found on flickr are against all licensing agreements.

Here's my post...lets see if he bites

http://www.flickr.com/photos/devmalya2003/4095594117/in/set-72157622783865606/?addedcomment=1#comment72157623245759722

Only on Flickr? Who really owns these and what's the real site, or are some real and only the flickr page is the copy? I'm kind of lost with this being in so many different places at different sizes?



I can remove this at any time if it's a problem having the group from the Tineye search on this forum.

Watch out for your ethnic profiling of .ru sites or you'll get near-banned ;-)

Do be careful to fill out exactly the wording they ask for - the first time I changed the statement about having a good faith belief that I held the copyright to the work. I said I did hold it - it was so obvious there was no belief involved. They e-mailed me back after a day or two saying it was a legal requirement to state that I had a good faith belief - so I did

I found this to be true as well. Best to copy their list of things needing answers directly and then answering right after the question.

Jonathon, I think that is a good approach, contacting Getty. At least with the Anne Geddes stuff, her name is still on there. The person isn't trying to make it look like they own the copyright. Doesn't make it right though. And I know for a fact Joe McNally, a photographer for National Geographic, also sells his images RM through Getty. I didn't check to see if any of those NG images are his, but I am pretty sure all of those photographers would not like free images being distributed this way.

I agree, flickr/yahoo needs to be more on top of what gets posted and by whom.

I know Flickr very well, been registered with them since 4 years, and I can testify that they really do not check what people upload because the community is too huge to execute a quality or copyright control on every member... as deviantart or other photosharing network, included stock agencies I'd say.

Anyway I dealt with them regarding some copyright (CR) infringement and I have to say that they are very open and understanding in blocking people and closing accounts of those who are committing a CR crime.

At the bottom of the Flickr site, in every page, you can find a link "Copyright/IP Policy" where you can report your problem. Be sure they will act the soonest they can, since they're very sensitive in that field.

Ok, the guy can start another account and do it all over again but if his/her IP is blacklisted he won't be able to do that again on Flickr at least.

Hi Giuseppe,
My experience is opposite, I filed out "Copyright/IP Policy", I sent them email, I sent them letter but they never respond. Guy who is displaying my image under his name doesn't answer either.

Kone

Kone, I could do so as well if you list the links.

And Jonathon, if you need help as well, please ask.

Thanks I'll surely take some actions against this art thief later on.
Be sure!

Hi Kone!
hmmm sorry to hear that... sounds very strange.

Could you please give me the link of your original images and then the link of the same in the thief's flickr account?
I  want to write a report to the yahoo copyright police as well, just to lend a hand.

Maybe it's just a matter of time but they will get back to you, I'm pretty sure.

Hi cclaper
Hi Giuseppe

I am sorry for late response

Link for my original image is
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3879071-beer.php

And link for stolen image is
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cafecathi/3839201933#

Thanks for your help

Ok I've reported the issue to the Yahoo Copyright Police

Quote from: Giuseppe Parisi on January 20, 2010, 10:04

Hi Kone!
hmmm sorry to hear that... sounds very strange.

Could you please give me the link of your original images and then the link of the same in the thief's flickr account?
I  want to write a report to the yahoo copyright police as well, just to lend a hand.

Maybe it's just a matter of time but they will get back to you, I'm pretty sure.

Hi cclaper
Hi Giuseppe

I am sorry for late response

Link for my original image is
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-3879071-beer.php

And link for stolen image is
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cafecathi/3839201933#

Thanks for your help

I just went to the link Kone provided for the stolen image and I get:

This member is no longer active on Flickr.

Looks like we nailed another one.

Quote

This one too, same photo, just another Flickr thief.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/44787562@N02/4178115893/#

I just posted a comment at the bottom of this thief's page.

I left a comment as well

As laudable as your efforts are they are a mere drop in the ocean compared to images available the file sharing sites, which have been going since the 90s one way or another.

I'm sure most folks here will have their work freely distributed on them, I know I have, for example there are 5619 pages and counting on just one site, heroturko.org , and nothing seems to have been able to be done about them.

Good point __ but why not? In particular with Istock's exclusive content, like yours and many others, why is the issue not being addressed? Heroturko openly boasts about the sources of many of the images.

I just went to the link Kone provided for the stolen image and I get:

This member is no longer active on Flickr.

Looks like we nailed another one.

Sure but Kone and others had been reporting it five weeks ago. Someone finally took notice or Giuseppe knows the right buttons to push and get results. Thank him. Maybe people with a pro account get noticed.  

Unfortunately the photo is out in the wild. Some may be legit buyers and some are Kone's own shots on agency pages. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

http://www.tineye.com/search/0722437ac1fa22f1c9053cf0b142040268a2ebbc

My pleasure to help!
I told you I know Flickr very well 

As laudable as your efforts are they are a mere drop in the ocean compared to images available the file sharing sites, which have been going since the 90s one way or another.

I'm sure most folks here will have their work freely distributed on them, I know I have, for example there are 5619 pages and counting on just one site, heroturko.org , and nothing seems to have been able to be done about them.

Have you found a best-selling image of yours on one of these sites? Maybe that's the difference. Once it happens to you, the threads that show on the board have a little more interest.

It's not that I never cared before...with having to work a full-time job to pay a mortgage, I don't usually have all day to sit and cruise the boards and play detective, even for my own work. Sometimes the threads float to the bottom before I even have a chance to see them. You can believe the Image Sleuth section is going to be noticed by me a little more now.

In the past couple of days I have spent hours on this, hours that could have been used to make real money. But this is costing all of us money, too. If someone needs help, you can be sure I will do my best to help and I would hope others would help me, as they have just done.

Maybe it just takes everyone looking out and helping everyone else on this matter.

OK off my high horse now. 

Quote

As laudable as your efforts are they are a mere drop in the ocean compared to images available the file sharing sites, which have been going since the 90s one way or another.

I'm sure most folks here will have their work freely distributed on them, I know I have, for example there are 5619 pages and counting on just one site, heroturko.org , and nothing seems to have been able to be done about them.

Have you found a best-selling image of yours on one of these sites? Maybe that's the difference. Once it happens to you, the threads that show on the board have a little more interest.

It's not that I never cared before...with having to work a full-time job to pay a mortgage, I don't usually have all day to sit and cruise the boards and play detective, even for my own work. Sometimes the threads float to the bottom before I even have a chance to see them. You can believe the Image Sleuth section is going to be noticed by me a little more now.

In the past couple of days I have spent hours on this, hours that could have been used to make real money. But this is costing all of us money, too. If someone needs help, you can be sure I will do my best to help and I would hope others would help me, as they have just done.

Maybe it just takes everyone looking out and helping everyone else on this matter.

OK off my high horse now. 

Hi cclapper,
That is the way we should all do, this is where this forum is really helpful, as team we are more powerful.

Kone

I noticed a few images I recognized from istock. I have emailed the owners to let them know.

You'd think flickr would be more strict about this, but I guess they have no control over who places what on there if the person says they are the copyright holder. It seems to be happening more and more.

Quote from: donding on January 21, 2010, 10:33

You'd think flickr would be more strict about this, but I guess they have no control over who places what on there if the person says they are the copyright holder. It seems to be happening more and more.

You know better than me that patroling over a community so vast like Flickr's is nearly impossible.
But I can tell you that they are strict when it comes to CR issues.
If you want to really report something, it's useless to write to the owner or to the staff, the only way to get it right is writing to the Yahoo staff via the link at the bottom of the page "Copyright/IP Policy". Anyway you can always report the problem to the staff just to make sure you have tried all the possible ways.

I will try to remember that in case I need to use it in the future. Hopefully I won't.

Quote

As laudable as your efforts are they are a mere drop in the ocean compared to images available the file sharing sites, which have been going since the 90s one way or another.

I'm sure most folks here will have their work freely distributed on them, I know I have, for example there are 5619 pages and counting on just one site, heroturko.org , and nothing seems to have been able to be done about them.

Have you found a best-selling image of yours on one of these sites? Maybe that's the difference. Once it happens to you, the threads that show on the board have a little more interest.

It's not that I never cared before...with having to work a full-time job to pay a mortgage, I don't usually have all day to sit and cruise the boards and play detective, even for my own work. Sometimes the threads float to the bottom before I even have a chance to see them. You can believe the Image Sleuth section is going to be noticed by me a little more now.

In the past couple of days I have spent hours on this, hours that could have been used to make real money. But this is costing all of us money, too. If someone needs help, you can be sure I will do my best to help and I would hope others would help me, as they have just done.

Maybe it just takes everyone looking out and helping everyone else on this matter.

OK off my high horse now. 

Yes I have found more than one of my best selling images packaged up with similars from others in one nice downloadable themed chunk on HeroTurko. But that is but one portal to a spiders web of mine of countless thousands of such bundles including many complete discs from getty and corbis etc etc. That they have not been able to stop this over many many years would indicate to me that I would be wasting my time trying to do anything about it. Before rapidshare and torrents from the mid nineties onwards every photodisc, Digital Vision etc. etc. cd was available through hotline and limewire or a few bucks to someone in the far east.

I have to report that there is a whole generation that believes that digital files are free game. Where I work, in a small design agency, we take on student work placements and their personal laptops are crammed full of unpaid for software, videos, images, songs, fonts etc. Like it or not, like shoplifting  and other forms of 'shrinkage' this is a cost of doing business in the digital world.

Wearing another of my hats as a manager of a moderately successful semi pro rock band that cost of doing business is so high that it's nigh on making it unsustainable to record anymore. Reviewers leak albums out before their release date and they are available as torrents that all but the most dedicated fans will help themselves to before the official stuff gets out. To add insult to injury many torrent sites will note the number of downloads.

The depth of this festering wound really does mean that the abuses on flicker, stolen images on others portfolios etc. that can be addressed are just scratching the surface. Fine if you do get a result, but in the micro world cost-benefit-wise are you really gaining anything?

And in the macro world when it comes to getty tracking down a misused image with its crawler and seeking thousands from the often unwitting small business owner who used one of the aformentioned students to design a website does the photographer get his commission?

From my experience Getty are pretty good at chasing down unauthorized usage...and yes, they do our percentage of the licensing fee that the offender pays...

Quote from: thesentinel on January 21, 2010, 16:45

And in the macro world when it comes to getty tracking down a misused image with its crawler and seeking thousands from the often unwitting small business owner who used one of the aformentioned students to design a website does the photographer get his commission?

Well that's something then