photos for university work but actually in commercial book

[kuuan]

about a year ago I had been contacted by a local here in Ho Chi Minh City asking me for permission first to use 11, later even 26 of my photos for a photo book on "Spring in an alley in Saigon", his final project in University. I had given the permission with the conditions that is must be for his work in university only, that it was not for anything commercial, and I asked for one free copy of the finished book. He had agreed to that.

A few times delayed only recently, finally I received the book. I was surprised by the high quality, the book comes in a own box desigend for it and looks like a luxury gift item.
I only found two of my photos were used. I cannot find any reference to university but it simply looks like a commercial product with a bar code and price printed on it's back.

What's your thoughts?
I just wrote him, thanking for the book, and asking him to explain me how he had guaranteed that this book is not commercial but in reality has a bar code and price printed on.

Years ago I was asked by someone supposedly from London that he wants to use some of my photos for university, and that for that I best simply should sign over the copyright of all my photos to him (??) Of course I had declined.
Over the years I had been asked a few times for use of photos for university. As it only was a few specified photos I usually, like this time, did grant permission. I guess I won't again.

 

[infrequent]

Lot of online printing places such as Blurb have to put a barcode on a printed book. On its own it is not a reflection of the commercial nature of the book, it is just a legal requirement. That said, you and I have no way to confirm if it really is something more than what he pitched to you. Good luck!

 

[tunalegs]

What's your thoughts?
I just wrote him, thanking for the book, and asking him to explain me how he had guaranteed that this book is not commercial but in reality has a bar code and price printed on.

Do you know if it is for sale anywhere? Is the barcode for an ISBN? If so you should be able to find out more info about the book.

 

[rbiemer]

kuan,
If you've got a smart phone, it likely has a bar code scanner--and if it does not there are lots available. Scan the code and see what info is returned. Or what website is linked to.
That may show you pretty quickly what use is being made of the book.
My younger brother's PhD dissertation was (maybe still is, I'm not sure) available for commercial sale through the book store at his college, I think one copy was sold. To our parents. This was before the modern print on demand services were around.

Rob

 

[kuuan]

thank you guys for the answers.

looking more closely at the barcode it has 13 numbers, as is, as I learned, to be expected from an ISBN-13 code. However it reads "0123456789012" while a valid ISBN-13 code, if I understand correctly, should start with the numbers 978. A code with 13 sequential numbers starting with "0" certainly must be purely fictitious.

therefore I guess it is as you say, "infrequent", that the barcode is a requirement, funny though that it can be, obviously, freely fictitious.

I had not expected a big cheat but want clarification. In the message I had sent earlier today I thanked him for the beautiful book, but also asked him to please explain why there isn't any reference for this work having been done for university and why there is a barcode and a shelf price printed on its back.

Rob I just scanned the barcode. how can one use this image to get more information? ( I tried 1 site where one can search via the ISBN number, "my" number obviously did not give any return, but I'd be curious how to use the image of a barcode anyway, thank you )

 

[rbiemer]

kuuan,
(apologies for misspelling your user name above!)
With the bar code app on my phone, once I scan a bar code it just opens a page--typically either in google shopping or the website for the product. It's mostly automatic.
I'm using an AT&T phone and the app was loaded in the phone when I got it.
The app will also read the QR codes as well. For those, I think who ever sets the code up can embed into the code the action. Again typically, they will open a page where you can buy something.
Rob

 

[kuuan]

kuuan,
(apologies for misspelling your user name above!)
With the bar code app on my phone, once I scan a bar code it just opens a page--typically either in google shopping or the website for the product. It's mostly automatic...

Thank you Rob. The document scanner I used said that it also was for barcodes, it did make a nice, straight image out of it, but it did not lead anywhere. I just downloaded and installed a barcode + QR code scanner app. which, after scanning, asks if I want to look for products or google it, thank you! ( not surprisingly it did not come up with an item for sale though )

 

[BillBingham2]

Perhaps the quality of the book was increased to help with the presentation of the work at the University?

B2 (;->

 

[kuuan]

I take it that it isn't a commercial book, even though a barcode and the price in numbers printed on it made it look like one