Seen at BigStock Forum: image stealing?

[madelaide]

From BigStock Forum:
http://www.bigstockphoto.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=9137#9137

SteveFE says:

This photo http://www.bigstockphoto.com/photo/view/127778? has been downloaded from http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=291845 and reuploaded here as a photo by snowlion. It is not. It is a photo by me and the copyright has been stolen. I respectfully request bigstockphoto users to respect copyright and not pay to download stolen material. Many thanks. I'd appreciate it if bigstock admin could investigate and delete snowlion's account to prove that thieving does not pay. I'd really like not to have to proceed to litigation against a genuine stock site.

Just to elaborate: SXC's terms of use are that users can download images free of charge for personal use, or for non-profit or low-profit use. The terms do not in way shape or form say that you can download images and resell them as your own. Copyright remains with the originator, and snowlion is not the originator. I am.

and in anothe msg he adds:

taken at Meelick Bay, County Clare, Ireland, on a day out with my children. Not taken in China.

Regards,
Adelaide

[enjoynit]

I hate to be the barer of bad news...
After seeing this post I looked thru snowlion's portfolio. I am an avid webshot user, and there were quite a few that looked very familiar to me. I started to do searches and this is the first one that I found within 5 minutes.

newbielink:http://www.webshots.com/g/25/525-sh/23395.html [nonactive]

this is it on snowlions portfolio

newbielink:http://www.bigstockphoto.com/photo/view/176160? [nonactive]

Please do something about this!!! This is total plagerism!!!

[fintastique]

Just goes to show why you should post your photos on all the sites where they can be purchased to stop people trying this and be wary of having free photos I must check my free photos on Fotolia, though I think they were submitted to all the paying sites. I wouldn't be happy if a site rejected it when I submitted and accepted it when someone else did.

I heard of someone downloading photos from Better Photos competition page and submitting to it may have been Big Stock. I doubt anyone would try this with iStock, knowing them they woulod seek prsison time.

I noticed snowlion had 136 shots at FT slightly fewer than 963 at Big Stock and they all seemed to be taken in China.

It will be interested to see what Big Stock and Snowlion have to say.

[SStevenson]

I just went on BigStock to check out snowlion's portfolio, and it looks like the portfolio has been pulled.  Couldn't find it through searches or a manual check.

[leaf]

it is nice they dealt with this seriously and quickly.

[madelaide]

It seems snowlion is/was at DT and SS, maybe with another name.  FT also?  It would be nice to tell them about this.

Can/will any agency seek him in Hong Kong?

Regards,
Adelaide

[jlye]

This is not the 1st time that such things happen and will not be the last time.

I remember seeing one such incident sometime last year in SS. and the admin in SS did inform other stock sites about the problem and got his account removed from all stock sites.

For me, I found some of my images being used by someone on a site that sell T-shirt, mugs, c aps and stuff. It's nice of him to put the phrase copyright under my name but hey .. sales from those stuff not going to benefit me. So I send an email to the host and they close the account.

[fintastique]

There are a few extra entrys on that thread in the Big Stock forum including from Admin yes the account has been pulled.

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=9137#9137

[Boylet]

I'm just curious... what would happen to those who downloaded the stolen images???