Copyright infringement - On Amazon again

[x-ray]

It's not just the internet where images get out. I have images in several museums and a half dozen high end galleries plus an exhibit that ours museums. During a couple of my openings I've actually caught people shooting copies of my images with their DSLR.

A year a go I caught a vendor on Ebay selling my images with his copyright on them. Ebay refused to provide his contact information and he blew off my messages. Ebay required a subpoena before they would provide info basically protecting the thief.

What I wound up doing is ordering a print and the persons return address was on it. I wound up burning his tail feathers and stopped it. It's a big time federal offense to put your copyright information on an already copyrighted image. I actually talked to the owner of the company and asked him why he put his copyright on my image. His response was to keep people from stealing it :~( Wonder wheat he thought he did?

 

[x-ray]

My most stolen image, right now only a few of them. One time I remember like 25.

It's not winter.

http://basara3400.blogspot.com/2004/11/after-921_10.html

Very nice image.

I know I'm fighting an uphill battle but I'd like to give them as much of a hard time as I can.

I posted reviews on amazon that my image was being used illegally and they pulled my review. I guess the thieves get protected while we get screwed.

I'll keep fighting!

 

[x-ray]

I can certainly understand how you'd be upset. I would be too. I certainly have no love for them. I did a documentary shoot on them and was the only outsider allowed in a private meeting and I can say without hesitation they're nasty devils.

 

[BlackXList]

This is wrong. The Communist China does not respect IP laws does not mean that the other countries should tolerate it. Every time I walk down Canal Street in Manhattan seeing tourists buying fake designer handbags from 10-15 street vendors openly, I wondered how ironic it is given the Federal Court is just two blocks away.

John

Obviously I agree with you, and funnily enough, I've photographed those vendors too.

It's more a case of when you send the case to someone, the standard response is "Oh China? Yeah, that sucks huh? They love doing that stuff".


You reach a point where despite being infuriated by the theft, you have to weigh up the chances of actually getting anywhere pursuing it Vs the time, financial, energy and emotional investment involved.

Yes this is exactly what the companies rely on, and no it's not right, but it's true.

I'm still at the furious stage over the stuff that's on Amazon, so I can't reconcile just a DCMA takedown being "enough" right now, I'm mentally trying to figure out ways to be able to take it further.

I'll possibly reach the point where the takedown seems like enough, just to throw a spanner in the works, but I'm currently taking it too personally.

 

[BlackXList]

I can certainly understand how you'd be upset. I would be too. I certainly have no love for them. I did a documentary shoot on them and was the only outsider allowed in a private meeting and I can say without hesitation they're nasty devils.

I kind of want to do something similar, because I'm seeing little signs of them crop up in a lot of places, and it startles me, but to be honest one look at my portfolio would out me as not remotely one of them

 

[x-ray]

You'd be surprised as to who the members are. The stereotype is blue eyed blond hair anal retentive types that like to torture little animals but not so. The meeting consisted of redneck plumbers to a professor of nursing at a major medical center. I go into some wild places to shoot like KKK cross burnings and serpent handling churches in Appalachia. In serpent handling churches I've met ex convicts and millionaire land developers to upper management at Walmart with multiple masters degrees. You just never know who you'll see at these things.

Success in getting the ok to shoot at these private meetings is gaining the trust of an influential member in the community they respect. Also having a history that's easily confirmed that you are ok and can be trusted to keep your mouth shut and not blow the whistle on anyone if things get a little crazy.

In 1971 I photographed my first KKK cross burning (lighting as the call it). I saw two black men try to crash the party, foolish. I was there with 3 Leicas around my neck and witnessed them holding them at gunpoint. One has a 10 gauge shotgun in his face. I truly believe had I not been there that those two men would have died that night and their bodies found downstream in the river a few days later.

If you mess with these people they'll never trust you again and possibly kill you. They're not playing games.

You can see a few images if you click the link at the bottom of this post.

 

[Corran]

They could care less about a takedown notice.

I don't really care about your politics but if this is an issue target the hosting company (whois.com).

If they are outside the USA then yes you won't likely get a resolution.

Frankly many worry too much about their image being found on some site that's the 25,757,244 Google result for any given search.

 

[BlackXList]

You'd be surprised as to who the members are. The stereotype is blue eyed blond hair anal retentive types that like to torture little animals but not so. The meeting consisted of redneck plumbers to a professor of nursing at a major medical center. I go into some wild places to shoot like KKK cross burnings and serpent handling churches in Appalachia. In serpent handling churches I've met ex convicts and millionaire land developers to upper management at Walmart with multiple masters degrees. You just never know who you'll see at these things.

Success in getting the ok to shoot at these private meetings is gaining the trust of an influential member in the community they respect. Also having a history that's easily confirmed that you are ok and can be trusted to keep your mouth shut and not blow the whistle on anyone if things get a little crazy.

In 1971 I photographed my first KKK cross burning (lighting as the call it). I saw two black men try to crash the party, foolish. I was there with 3 Leicas around my neck and witnessed them holding them at gunpoint. One has a 10 gauge shotgun in his face. I truly believe had I not been there that those two men would have died that night and their bodies found downstream in the river a few days later.

If you mess with these people they'll never trust you again and possibly kill you. They're not playing games.

You can see a few images if you click the link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks for the link, I shall have a look through now.

That "history that's easily confirmed" thing, is what will sink me haha, I shoot a lot of Rap music, Funk, Reggae etc, which I suspect is hardly on their approved list for obvious reasons.
I suspect that precludes me from access in this case.

I've definitely shot some people who fall into the "not playing games" category, and I'm conscious how I conduct myself in those situations of course.

 

[Bill Clark]

My business was people photography. When the internet got going for me, I posted photographs, had a web site. But as I got going I took them down. I didn't need the internet to sell my services. Truth be known, all my clients liked this feature of my business. I left it in their hands to post or not to.

Once I got going, I was off to the races. My base grew because I did a good job with a client who referred me to others. I was by myself, hiring associate photographers by the gig only.

Eventually I decided to forget about print sales. After an analysis, just time alone I could be more productive doing other things.

Sorry to hear about your difficulities. Thank goodness I didn't encounter situations like yours. I wouldn't of had the time to chase the culprits down. My mind was/is busy and I don't need the legalise stuff overloading it.

Can't you market your products in a different way to prevent this?

Are you still a PPofA member? Can't they help you?

I love your web site. Beautiful photography. I really like the photograph you made of the folks with the hard hats.

 

[x-ray]

Sorry to hear about your difficulities. Thank goodness I didn't encounter situations like yours. I wouldn't of had the time to chase the culprits down. My mind was/is busy and I don't need the legalise stuff overloading it.

Can't you market your products in a different way to prevent this?

Are you still a PPofA member? Can't they help you?

I love your web site. Beautiful photography. I really like the photograph you made of the folks with the hard hats.

Thanks Bill!

The image that's a problem has been sold so many times and has been on numerous magazine websites as well as in print. It's also in a touring exhibition and may have been copied in a gallery or museum. Ive caught on several occasions people shooting copies of my images while hanging in exhibitions. They take their phones and DSLRs and snap away like its no big deal.

I've not been a PPofA member in twenty five years. When I got my masters it and our state organizations were very commercial driven but around 1990 it seemed they both became heavily wedding and portrait which I don't do. I liked the organization but just felt there wasn't much going on for my type of business. I've always been strictly corporate / commercial / industrial.

The group shot of guys with hard hats was for a Tennessee Valley Authority annual report. I used to do around ten annual reports for major corporations twenty years ago when corporations had money to burn.

 

[x-ray]

I'm really happy to report that 19 out of the 20 t shirts that were on Amazon have been pulled. My campaign getting my friends on Facebook to post negative reviews on the product have worked. One more to go. I just posted on my Facebook page that we need to take them down.

Hopefully they've learned that we have recourse against their theft. Those of you that posted negative reviews on Amazon, THANK YOU!!! Thanks all for your kind support!!!

Hopefully they'll keep them off. If not we can do it again.

 

[BillBingham2]

I'm really happy to report that 19 out of the 20 t shirts that were on Amazon have been pulled.......

Great news! Nice to hear that sort of effort still works.

B2 (;->

 

[x-ray]

I'm really happy to announce all of the shirts have been removed from Amazon. It shows the power of friends that work together.

I don't know it they will put them back or or not but we accomplished a major feat. I'm going to continue to check Amazon every week and will let everyone know if anything happens.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[stompyq]

Good news. Glad to hear amazon have pulled most of the t-shirts. Been following this thread and have to say that's some excellent work X-ray. Great images

 

[x-ray]

Good news. Glad to hear amazon have pu;;ed most of the t-shirts. Been following this thread and have to say that's some excellent work X-ray. Great images

Thank you!

I don't know if it was Amazon or the seller. My Facebook an RFF friends posted dozens of negative reviews on the product and stated I'm the legal copyright owner and the photo was illegally being used. The seller wouldn't have gotten many buyers from what was posted in the customer reviews.

Thanks again!

 

[David Hughes]

HI,

Can't help wondering which is more lawless, the country making them or the country where they are sold...

Regards, David

PS And once on a well known auction site I saw a camera sold that was reported stolen from Leitz, it was a 250, and part of the sales speil was that it had be stolen from Leitz in the 1940's...

 

[Rayt]

This type of copyright violation is actually pretty common. Quite a number of big brands have paid out large settlements for using images they found online on their products. People including designers for these brands assume all images on the internet are public domain.

 

[Trius]

I wrote a review of the Anksan tee but Amazon declined to post it. Maybe I was too "forceful"? In any event, I am really happy the offending products have been removed from sale. Here is my disqualified review, firebrand that I am!

"Stolen Goods - Do Not Buy!

The image on this T-shirt is STOLEN. The copyright holder has NOT given or sold the rights to this image to be used for this product.

Amazon, please delist this product, ban the seller and prohibit future use of this image without approval of the copyright owner."

 

[mwooten]

Thank you!

I don't know if it was Amazon or the seller. My Facebook an RFF friends posted dozens of negative reviews on the product and stated I'm the legal copyright owner and the photo was illegally being used. The seller wouldn't have gotten many buyers from what was posted in the customer reviews.

Thanks again!

from my "review":
This product uses a stolen image. It is a violation of US and international copyright law, and amazon should be ashamed of allowing such thievery.

 

[x-ray]

There seems to be two images, one photographic and one heavily photoshopped graphic image (with a hand held up).

Are they both based on your images?

My image was the photo image of Popcorn with a confederate flag background.

Really funny, whoever added the flag stole my image to use then the Chinese stole that image. The first thief got theirs stolen. Haha

I received notice last night from Amazon that they were going to remove the products but it might take several days. Sorry Amazon you're too late to the party. My friends on the forum and facebook took care of it 🙂

Thanks all of you again! Well done. We as a small group do have power. It's a good feeling to know we defeated these guys for the moment. It's a small victory but we wone!