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Images "stolen" from Flickr
As the title says really. How do I protect my images uploaded onto my Flickr pages? I've recently found a housing letting agency using my images without asking. They have credited me with a link to my Flickr account but I feel the images have been stolen so they as a company do not have to pay for stock local images to help let their properties.
I have always just set the copyright on all my Flickr images as the standard default one checking the box stating "none (all rights reserved)". Does this give anyone the right to use my images?
The images have been used since at least March 2010 and I have been told to send them an invoice with a 30 day payment. I have no idea how much to charge or if this is the correct road to take. I wouldn't have minded if they had asked me first, but they are using this as an advrert for financial gain which annoys me.
Thanks
Gareth
I have always just set the copyright on all my Flickr images as the standard default one checking the box stating "none (all rights reserved)". Does this give anyone the right to use my images?
The images have been used since at least March 2010 and I have been told to send them an invoice with a 30 day payment. I have no idea how much to charge or if this is the correct road to take. I wouldn't have minded if they had asked me first, but they are using this as an advrert for financial gain which annoys me.
Thanks
Gareth
I would contact them notifying them that they have used your images without permission and give them a chance to make a commercial offer to you. If that does not work I would bill them £50 per image per month. But try the friendly approach first as it could be a good money thing for you.
P.S take screen captures of their web site with your images before you contact them.
P.S take screen captures of their web site with your images before you contact them.
They have used your images without your permission so you have to tell them to pay or remove them. Simple. The 'none (all rights reserved)' option on Flickr is the default alternative to applying a Creative Commons license which allows you to decide how people can use your images - explanations of the creative commons licences are here - but you haven't done that. In any case you are still the copyright holder. You need to ascertain how much each image is worth for type of usage, I don't really know as I don't sell stock and it depends whether its small pictures on a website, larger images in a magazine advert etc.
Quote:How did you find out they were being used?
I did a Google search for my name when I was bored one evening and they have put a link to my Flickr site with reference to me being the photographer. I only think they did this thinking it was a Creative Commons license which would have been legal.
Quote:P.S take screen captures of their web site with your images before you contact them.
... and include them when contacting them - I would further encourage you to contact them in writing in the first instance - and using a 'Signed for' service.
Quote:I have agreed a small fee for the use of my images and decided to take the matter no further. There may be additional work so have kept things amicable. He may think twice now before using copyrighted images in future. Lesson learned and no harm done.
I Doubt this will have any effect tbh, its becoming common pratice to use images off the net without contacting the owner, when contacted they eather remove or pay a small fee, I have read on here even national newspapers have done so, that way they only have to pay the the most observent. Only way to secure you images is not post them online. You fortunetly came in the observent catagory.
if you must post images online why not embed a visible copyright or some other watermark in your pictures? Whilst it may not remove the risk 100% it may at least make it more difficult for images to be stolen.
Quote:if you must post images online why not embed a visible copyright or some other watermark in your pictures? Whilst it may not remove the risk 100% it may at least make it more difficult for images to be stolen.
The images stolen were some of the first I had put online so before I knew about watermarks. All my images are now watermarked.
Quote:Only way to secure you images is not post them online
Unfortunately the internet seems the best way to advertise these days so it's a risk I suppose I'll have to take. What I now do is tag every image with my full name and regurlarly do a Google search for my name. Although not foolproof, it has enabled me to find this theft.
the point is even if you find some, in most cases it will cost you more money to chase them up and take them to court than how much you could ever make, You had a lucky exsperience finding someone who paid up, A lot dont and it is not a criminal offence so going through the public system is quite costly. Ive read on here alot Wedding photographers no longer put pictures online as alot of clever peaple will remove the watermarks to save a few pounds.
Your best recource is to watermark and make such low quality that they will not be used, personally I do photography for pleasure so dont bother anymore, quite often see my pictures in meny places I frequent but have stopped worrying about it.
Your best recource is to watermark and make such low quality that they will not be used, personally I do photography for pleasure so dont bother anymore, quite often see my pictures in meny places I frequent but have stopped worrying about it.
indeed after doing whatever I can to prevent misuse of my images I am not going to lose any sleep over the matter however if I find somebody has blatantly pinched my images and I have 100% proof I will take them to court pursuing them for everything I can including loss of income; costs etc etc. It needs a few well publicised incidents like this to try tp stop it.
