Stolen Photos!!!!!

[Puget]

Lesson learned. Consider it a compliment.

Put a watermark on your pics or anything else you post on the web.
You or anyone else set yourselves up to be ripped off.
removing a water mark is very difficult.

If you post it you lose it. Regardless if you own the rights. Why, because you have posted it where anyone with a computer can view it take it and even use it. Without your permission.

What have we learned today.
1- Watermark your images.
2- Keep a record of them.
3- Lock them if you can. ( HTML sites are those that are the easiest to take images off.
Flash based sites can be locked down so no DOWNLOADING is allowed. )

Do not post it on an open forum. Unless you like to give things away.

And if you think no one will take what is yours...Think again

In other words get over it. You may not have wanted some to take what is yours. But you allowed it by posting it. I deal with this crap everytime I create a website and set up images for use on the web. Again, Watermark your photos.

Simple

Ahhhh....the old "if you don't prevent crime you are the cause of it" explanation. I don't expect all people to be honest, that would not be reasonable.....but I DO expect to have the right to complain about dishonesty whenever it occurs. Would you really rather that I had NOT posted and this guy just was able to continue on claiming the work of many others as his?

Maybe those are your issues, but they aren't mine. I have people download my images all the time and "got over it" a long time ago.....that's the nature of the web. What I CANNOT "get over" is having someone claim my images as "his", even to the extent of naming his dive buddies in the photos and the fake location of the dives!

These are OLD photos posted on the web years ago - if I had taken them today I doubt if they would ever see the light of day.

If this guy had merely posted the photos and said "Here's some shots I like", or even said nothing at all, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

The bottom line is that my photos, and those of others, have been removed from his site AND divers all over the world are now aware of this guy's "moral ambiguity". I'm satisfied with that.

- John

 

[dittrimd]

I totally agree with vablackwater. This is a real problem if he is passing himself off as a Public Safety anything and not properly qualified or trained. I am constantly dealing with interlopers in the fire and EMS service. It can be a real safety concern as well as tarnish our reputations if he gives out advice that causes harm or death to someone. I know the internet is buyer beware but it is still frustrating.

Mark D.

 

[drbill]

The word at the end of the following reply should have "Minded" added to it.

Yes, the cautions you suggest are useful and good. However, the "if you post it, you lose it" remark and your suggestion to consider this a "lesson learned" are simple minded.

This is an issue and one worthy of being posted here to warn others of us who publish images on our web sites and other locations. The accessibility of the Internet does not eliminate personal responsibility for illegal use of intellectual property.

Fortunately I only post low-res versions of my images and consider them up there for educational purposes. I almost always grant permission for others to use them IF they request it and the use is for educational, non-commercial purposes.

Lesson learned. Consider it a compliment.

Put a watermark on your pics or anything else you post on the web.
You or anyone else set yourselves up to be ripped off.
removing a water mark is very difficult.

If you post it you lose it. Regardless if you own the rights. Why, because you have posted it where anyone with a computer can view it take it and even use it. Without your permission.

What have we learned today.
1- Watermark your images.
2- Keep a record of them.
3- Lock them if you can. ( HTML sites are those that are the easiest to take images off.
Flash based sites can be locked down so no DOWNLOADING is allowed. )

Do not post it on an open forum. Unless you like to give things away.

And if you think no one will take what is yours...Think again

In other words get over it. You may not have wanted some to take what is yours. But you allowed it by posting it. I deal with this crap everytime I create a website and set up images for use on the web. Again, Watermark your photos.

Simple

 

[scarefaceDM]

Yes it is an issue and worth of being posted. As are my comments on protecting what you call - your property.

Protecting your identity is another issue which is a growing concern on all levels.

And yes if you post it you lose it...if you hope no one will take it, your in a world of dreams. Hense the OP's post. Old images that were taken for what ever reason. It is a good call that was made and it was adressed quickly.

Images, papers, film clips etc are free game on the internet. Finding ways to protect them or prevent them from being used and claimed by someone else is an ongoing issue. Aside from identity theft.

I am glad the outcome was a positive one.

 

[DiscoverTheBlue]

Before you can sue someone for copyright infringement, you MUST register the photos with the US Copyright Office. All you need to do is send them a CD of photos -- small size, low quality is fine -- with a signed statement that they are your original photographs.

Gosh - yeah. But who really wants to do that? Understandable for a photographer who makes his money that way. For someone who just wants to plant some nice pics of his on the web, I do assume that the US Copyright Office would accept submission of originals a f t e r such an incident? Proof would be really easy if the actual shooter still has the original file. The thief - in most cases will only have a compressed copy.

 

[Drewski]

Hi All:

Coincidently, I recently corresponded with apparently the same individual about some of my photos on Flickr. He didn't really strike me as "out there" but I guess one really doesn't know. A recent message from him appears below. Is this the same guy?

 

[Warren_L]

I've had a few of my photos show up in places I didn't expect. The more you shoot and post, the more likely it will happen. I just simply inform the offenders that they need permission to use my images and that's generally the end of it. I do watermark my shots for this reason, but if someone really wants an image, I'm sure they will find a way. Ironically, most times, if someone asks, I'll more than likely be fine with it.

 

[james croft]

This guy is a poser. A PSD diver on this forum long ago has warned those of us in the PSD field of this guy who has a couple of aliases, one of which is MedicTom. The problem is that this imposter is passing along training tips and advice without having the experience or credentials to do so and needs to be reined in before the fraudulent advise he passes out is used by the unwary. He claims to be with CAST and has advanced certifications, but they are suspect. Earlier posts on this site by about this subject were removed by the MODS, I believe, but apparently this guy is still out there messing up. I agree he has some problems, but he needs to be exposed and not protected.

 

[Puget]

Hi All:

Coincidently, I recently corresponded with apparently the same individual about some of my photos on Flickr. He didn't really strike me as "out there" but I guess one really doesn't know. A recent message from him appears below. Is this the same guy?

It appears to be the same guy.....

I did a LOT of searching on the web to locate this guy and demand that he remove my photos from his sites. Believe me, in doing so, I found out FAR more about him than I really wanted to! I would consider halting correspondence with him, if I were in your shoes.....there's FAR more here than just stealing other people's photos and pretending to be a level of diver that he is not!

 

[Storm]

And yes if you post it you lose it.

Images, papers, film clips etc are free game on the internet. Finding ways to protect them or prevent them from being used and claimed by someone else is an ongoing issue.

Actually that's not correct. Copyright infringement and plagiarism ARE rampant on the internet, but if you find a piece of your work being used for profit making (which was obviously not the case here) without your express permission, you can take action.

The reality is that with sites being hosted all over the world and most often outside of your home country's legal jurisdiction, the chances of recovering damages are slim. But if, for example, you found your work on a stock photo site without your express permission and it has been selling on a regular basis, you are entitles to royalties. If that site is hosted in your home country, you have a fair chance of getting your royalties, but you would probably pay more to get them than they are worth.

Accepting nefarious poaching of intellectual property merely because of the transportation media is wrong and will only serve to breed more of it. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the younger generations, those who were brought up on the internet, seem more prone to accept this type of behavior, after all a great many of them probably bought more than one essay from an internet source. Ethics seems to be slipping in the "brave new world" of the internet.

Here endeth the rant.

Peace!