Picture Stealers

[HHandbasket]

While art and photography may be a person's property, it's exceedingly unrealistic to think you can put something on the internet and have it still be "yours". When you give the whole world access to something you put online, it's no longer yours. In fact, I just found out I no longer own the rights to ANY of the photography or art work I had put on Facebook (I have since removed it). The minute you upload an image to FB, it's legally theirs, not yours, and I did not know that. Many sites have similar fine print in their user agreements, so double check your site user agreements. (YouTube has a similar agreement--once you upload your video to them, it's theirs to do what they want.) Many people do not "own" what they write in their blogs nor images on their blogs anymore, either, and they're blissfully unaware of it. Those user/license agreements are loaded with fine print stuff like that.

Still, it makes you wonder where people's ethics are anymore. I would never EVER use an image of someone else's chickens to sell my own eggs or my birds or use in my advertisements because the only person whose ethics I really have any say-so over are my own. If I want to sell my eggs, I'll go out and take pics of MY birds. If I can't, I won't sell. Life is simple. I just don't get people who steal other people's images just because they "can". It's like I often tell people... just because you CAN do a thing, doesn't mean that you SHOULD.

Makes ya wanna find the folks that steal other people's pictures and give 'em a big boot to the head!

 

[cuntryuppiechick]

The minute you put a photo or info on nearly any site they have the legalese to claim it as theirs so the breeders club probably had the right to use those album photos even though the owner was unaware that they would. It's a lot harder to steal a paper printed photo. I stick with those when I care to keep it mine. More than likely facebook owns all our identities and we'll need to pay rights to use our own name in the future.

 

[chickenzoo]

I downloaded the form you have to fax to Ebay, so we shall see what happens. I tried to find it again, but don't see the add. I know it said the sellers were gobbler run farm or something like that, which seems familiar to me for some reason. However I would never use pics of birds that were not mine, to sell eggs. If the eggs are not coming from those birds... don't use it.

 

[ivan3]

Gradient color/fuzzy margin/tiled watermarks are pretty good. Posting shots with absolute minimum file size, while maintaining clarity are good (won't keep someone from using a camera to shoot from the screen, but it helps cull the lazy clowns - can't enlarge too much from original file and rename).

Only way to avoid lawyers and get a summary judgment $$$ (if you get really lucky and see your chooks, etc. on a food package/billboard) is to pony up the $35.00 a year and register: http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl107.html

I always figure that 10min. after I post, someone in Tibet is `sampling' out the parts they like and layering into something else entirely.

False advertising is ugly. Congrats to you folks who police this trash, lots of eyes on BYC...

Good hunting!

 

[desertdarlene]

Most of the sites that I work with say that the work is, indeed, yours. However, when you post it on their site, they have the right to use it in promotions, editorials, and anything else that is consistent in running their site and retaining your content. If you remove your content, then they usually can't do anything with it. It doesn't mean that you don't own the rights to it anymore and it doesn't mean that anyone can just take it and use it any way they want.

ETA: I just looked up Facebook's TOS and it does not say that you are revoking your rights to your content, just that they can use it any way they want in connection to Facebook without paying you. When you delete your content, then they can no longer use it.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Actually, they ARE copyright protected from the moment you take them. You do not have to regster the copyright to be protected; however, registration allows you to collect additional damages and serves as proof that they are yours.