I don't know if anyone has ever had this issue but some of my images I have in a few different places. How would one be able to confirm that a usage is legit and purchased from any of the stock sites if that same image might be on your personal portfolio making it an easy target for theft?

Honestly don't think there is any way to see but I'm curious if any of the stock sites put any effort into this at all


Thanks




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I think the answer is No, and No!

Steve

Only if you sell exclusively at one agency and the image is sold only once, otherwise it'll be impossible to track it down.

RF makes tracking extremely difficult. Having the images (unwatwermarked?) on your personal site just increases the potential for misuse.

That's what I figured, just curious really.

I know that sounded like a dumb question but these are the things you think of after two 16 hour works days and before coffee kicks in.

Thanks


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I've found a few instances recently of people crediting the site they stole my images from, some people are really thick.

Blockchain technology is the answer to this problem, or so a rash of new sites claim.  I think the aim is, at least in part, to make money from infringement claims.  Getty have done a deal with one of them so that makes sense.

Coincidentally I was just looking at a couple of those sites today. With blockchain the technology certainly exists to curtail a lot of image theft online, but as I understand it in order for it to be beneficial to any of us all of the agencies would need to adopt it into their respective licensing programs. I don't see that happening anytime soon because as it stands blockchain is an open ledger, meaning in essence agencies would need to share their licensing data (read customers) with each other as well as with contributors in order to effectively track infringements. Not likely.

I agree, the two sites I was looking at definitely look like they are gearing up for the business side of things in terms of litigation. Perhaps as an arms length middleman between all of the agencies and creatives? Holding the "wallet" on behalf of stakeholders for a cut of any settlement. Might be a great business.

When I have doubts about the source of one of my images used (for example no credits given and other hints), I simply mail the site owner and ask for a proof of license. Sometimes I get a screenshot of an agency backend back with my sale (so all is fine), sometimes I get answers like (sorry, we found this image on Google). They get mail from my lawyer then, if they are based in a country where we can successfully file a case.

Quote from: fotorob on August 12, 2018, 15:01
Sometimes I get a screenshot of an agency backend back with my sale (so all is fine), sometimes I get answers like (sorry, we found this image on Google). They get mail from my lawyer then, if they are based in a country where we can successfully file a case.

When they provide you with the screenshot, you can check the date of the download? I ask this question because they may try to make a legitim purchase afterwords.