Ebay Inc. Stole my Pic !

[CameraQuest]

I couldn't believe my eyes, but there it was.

http://search.reviews.ebay.com/_W0QQfvcsZ3003QQsoprZ52119243QQupvrZ3

MY pic of a Voigtlander Bessa R2 with MY 50/2 Summicron, being used by Ebay Inc as a "stock photo." the pic was taken by someone from http://cameraquest.com/voigtBR2.htm


Ebay has a copyright infringment program called VERO by which copyight holders can have auctions which infringe upon their copyrighted material (pics or text) removed once a protest is lodged. I have used it many times, but I have never reported Ebay Inc before!

I sent off an email to Vero to remove my pic, and cc'd the CEO of Ebay, along with a bill for the use of the pic.

Stephen

 

[flashover]

just checked it's still there. This dosen't suprise me ebay is a big ............. ah you know what I mean. Make them pay.

 

[peter_n]

Good for you Stephen. Make 'em pay!

 

[FrankS]

Stephen: big corp., American legal system, copyright infringement, you may become a wealthy man! 🙂

 

[raid]

Think of your poor "brothers" on the RFF ....
Let's all consider sharing as our next goal.


Raid

 

[mc_vancouver]

Go get em. And by the way, I think this applies to me, too, in that I have been guilty, sometimes, of purloining an image from someone's site to use for my own ad when I didn't have a digital camera (this was ages ago). As a buyer, of course, I would much rather buy from someone who has the images of the item they are selling, the actual one, not a stock photo. Digital cameras aren't expensive and you don't need a fancy one to take a small image for the RFF (or other) classifieds.

 

[RayPA]

I think you need to watermark your pics Stephen. This happens fairly regularly to you. 🙂 I think I put you on to an auction that was usuing one of your images once. This is the first time, however, that a corporation has lifted one. They should know better.

.

 

[ywenz]

Why would ebay be so stupid as to do this? I don't get it....

 

[erikhaugsby]

I think Ray has it right: Steven, you are a bohemoth in the film world. Therefore, (some) people might find it easy to use your photography in their works. It happens, they get away with it, it sucks.


Fortunately, this time you've caught one of them! 😀😀

 

[NIKON KIU]

I sent off an email to Vero to remove my pic, and cc'd the CEO of Ebay, along with a bill for the use of the pic. 🙂

Stephen

You forgot to use a smilie at the end of that last paragraph😉
Kiu

 

[Didier]

Let them pay. At least $5000000
Didier

 

[flashover]

Stephen I never even thought of this before when I posted in this thread. Useing you photos is widespread. Even in Canada. The Craiglist add I responded to and bought my Contax IIIa from used a shot from you wed page on the IIIa. It was easy to spot with the golden tint to the shot.

 

[Ash]

Wow.. make sure you rinse them for everything they got. "Stock Photo" ?!?!

 

[lushd]

Hi - why don't you take up their invitation and write a review? You might even mention who owns the picture and point out who sells these cameras. That could get their attention and its a free advert for you to make up for some of their cheek.

 

[SDK]

Why would ebay be so stupid as to do this? I don't get it....

It's probably some intern's fault.😉

 

[rbiemer]

Hi - why don't you take up their invitation and write a review? You might even mention who owns the picture and point out who sells these cameras. That could get their attention and its a free advert for you to make up for some of their cheek.

I just clicked on the link Stepehen gave us and got the same page and the offer to "be the first to review this".
I'm thinking:
Lovely camera as the owner of this photo and its copyright can tell you. For more info and the legal version of this photo go to: http://www.cameraquest.com/voigtBR2.htm" Or something like that?
Which I just did.
Rob

 

[Stephanie Brim]

Yeah, you deserve some money out of this. And the recognition that the photo is yours. This was really ****ty of them. I think that when I get these last two things that I'm buying, I'm going to boycott them. People who would just steal someone else's photo for personal gain are not people that I'd like to do business with.

 

[BillBingham2]

I agree, turn the screws in on them! They can afford it! If you did something they did not like, they would think nothing of hit you for it. They are not people, they are a big corporation. Hit them hard, hit them again and again and again.

B2 (;->

 

[ghost]

this reminds me of an early scene in pulp fiction.

 

[akptc]

I'd let it go. You sell these cameras, are easily considered an extension of the manufacturer, where else would one go to get the most appropriate, reliably accurate image/rendition of what the camera looks like - to the source of course, and Cameraquest is a major source. That some young, inexperienced, or plain lazy guy didn’t ask permission, well, it happens. But, better they used your picture than some crappy or inaccurate one. If you can get credit for the photo, great, otherwise, it's just a nice but rather plain-vanilla photo of a camera, isn’t it? I have dozens of my technical illustrations, all copyrighted, being used w/out permission by folks in my profession, but try to see it from the “bigger picture” perspective – at least people are seeing this stuff as it should be. Just my 2 cents…