If he is selling other people photos as his own there must be legal action that can be taken on that front?

 

Do you watch the news? You can get money from anyone for anything. Someone just sued Volvo because they made the pedals to small for his feet in his new car.

But I was thinking criminal charges. Don't people who sell fraudulent paintings get thrown in jail?

 

As Lisa mentioned, there was an incident similar to this at istock. A photographer was using istock images on his website. He did not state that he took them, but obviously it was implied because they were photographs on a photographer's website. They were on the front page of the site, much like the example you've posted here. Because they did not expressly claim that they were their own, but only used them to design a website (perfectly allowable usage under a royalty-free license), they were NOT in violation of the TOS. An admin came right out and stated as much--that while it was arguably misleading, there was no clear violation.

In this instance, the person is using your photo on an entry page. Directly below the images, there is a text link that reads "recent photo shoots", implying that the thumbnails above are what you will see if you click that link. However, when you go to these gallery pages, they are his own work (presumably). I would not call the gallery pages those with the links, but those pages to which the links lead. (Granted I did not explore the entire web site so maybe there is another more blatant declaration).

A certain Person's Style letter

Dear Mr. PhotoThief,
I am appalled at your blatant lack of respect in your selection of my photographer friend Victoria's snapshots.
Have you no sense of fairness, or or even a good eye when it comes to choosing good quality photographs?
You demonstrate your lack of education, knowledge, and ability, as a photographer. 

Sir you obviously don't know who I am! I am a PROFESSIONAL photographer, who has graduated from a million
different schools, have a bazillion certifications, write for newspapers, magazines, and was a consultant to Ansel Adams.
I also teach and take people on seminarial group picnic tours throughout the region, wandering  aimlessly looking for objects
to shoot.

In your selection of stealing photos from Victoria portfolio over mine, you demonstrate inability to recognize my greatness.
Perhaps you are not as adept at this profession as I am. You need to educate yourself, and learn to recognize  the quality of my work.

He must have quite a team there. His "examples of out commercial photography work" include one of istock's most popular best four downloads (the one with the woman with laptop hands raised), rzdeb's chairs (which look like a 3D render to me). The shopping trolley in a car is a 3D render done by Mark Evans who is an istock admin...

It seems like they have taken the appropriate action now.

Quote from: vikavalter on May 18, 2008, 01:18

ok, finnish evening and british evening are over now for already more than 10 hrs, my mug is still there! I really don't want to belive that that person lied to me

Unfortunately your photo is still sitting on the server. All this neanderthal did was delete the index.html page after you lot nuked him with emails.

Talk about solidarity with one of our own at its best.



Anywhooo, I've gone one further than that, I've got a UK journalist picking up on this story and if the little creep is passing off stuff as his own down the local market, she'll find him.

Right now this thieving little wretch is about as comfortable as a lame Turkey sat on a packet of paxo listening to Christmas carols.

sweet.
Now I wonder why he used exactly that image to represent his photographer's skills, the lighting isn't a brainer, the composition is simple, it's a good concept shot but even I don't show it in my portfolio. I shot it with a ceiling bouced flash.

Unrelated, but I have just seen several of your self-portraits showcased in a UK monthly photo magazine. All legitimate, but they may confuse some of the culprits ‘clients’

you mean that they will go get images straight from my site? well that's the risk of having images on internet I guess.

No, I mean if the clients of photoarte see that you are the author they may also ask questions of photoarte.

i hope they do!!!!

the site is down...

but if i was you i will be very happy,

you just find someone to pay for all the work you've done for microstock 

I would be very happy to find someone stealing  my work....

he he he ....

my lawyer would be happy too....

Go get him, as i see the name is (mr) Mark Anderson

 

I've just discovered, this guy has another site, too. The address is here (same telephone number as the previous one, so definitely the same guy).

http://www.photos4rent.co.uk/index.html

Check this one as well. He seems to rent out photographs here. How many of them are stolen, too.