Using pics from my site

Dianaa · #1 13-01-12, 00:33

A lot of people merely use the Google Image search and use the properties box to identify the source location to repost/republish. So in effect it displays in the new location without actually being re-published. In a recent thread I used Noel Patrick's Scammell image hosted on the REMLR site.

It is the same as those of us who use an image hosting service like photobucket.

The only ways to protect images and text online are with electronic security measures embedded into the website or to watermark your images in a similar manner to the AWM. At least then while they may have breached your copyright at least you are identified as the copyright holder.

Lang · #2 13-01-12, 01:27

The use of watermarking may or may not be legitimate ie the webmaster laying claim to other peoples' efforts.

Mike may be able to throw some light on this but I think the AWM collection includes tens of thousands of photos in the public domain yet they still watermark them.

A case in point is a whole series of photos taken by my father in New Guinea during WW2 on his private camera. He says his CO while in a visit to Terapo, where he was movement control officer loading the landing barges to go up river to the Bulldog Track and Wau, asked for copies of the photos so he gave him the negatives (he still has the original photos). Lo and behold he only found them recently at age 92 when I showed him how to search the AWM collection - acknowledging him as photographer - but watermarked as AWM material?

The AWM must have tens of thousands of personal photos which are now in the public domain watermarked. Having to quite reasonably cover the cost for the archiving, copying etc by making you pay for hard copies of photos you want is one thing but this is a national collection which the taxpayers rightly should maintain and they should not be able to deface electronically photos submitted by individuals for the enlightenment of the future generations.

If the photographer was on the payroll eg Damien Parer then the government/AWM fairly own them until copyright expires - which I think has now happened to much of the material.

It is all such a grey area full of miffed people complaining of their stuff being stolen (most of which they stole, borrowed, edited or rewrote in the first place) and bush lawyers claiming rights under probably the most subjective, airy fairy and unenforcable area of law - that of copyright.

Robin Craig · #3 13-01-12, 02:10

I have a couple of experiences of this.

A certain UK MV parts supplier started using a picture of my Ferret on their website front page. I asked them to remove the VRN or give me credit. Its still there but modified now.

The other incident was when a photojournalist friend picked up a certain intel companies freebie disk of images at a show. He found his own images on the disk which were sold to them as "one time usage" at the time of submission in an article they paid for and published. When he challenged them they said "sue us", we will drag it out for years, we are bigger than you.

The same company bought some of my pictures, again for "one time use" and they popped up being used by them in other material. I started pegging invoices at them but being transatlantic from here it was awkward as they wouldn't pay and played out the same line to me.

Hence I gave up doing a lot of photojournalism work.

R

Dianaa · #4 13-01-12, 03:14

Now if we were muscians or movie makers we would be receiving the full forcce of the law in relation to our loss of copyright.

Richard Coutts-Smith · #5 13-01-12, 07:11

Have noticed over the last few months an upsurge in books on my fields of interest. They appear to be sourced entirley from Wikipedia content. Eg; http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Daimler-i...item231758b489

"this content has been curated from Wikipedia articles and images under Creative Commons licensing"
"We believe books such as this represent a new and exciting lexicon in the sharing of human knowledge"

I believe this to be a poor use of free and unverified information, some of the books I have seen listed are not cheap.
I see the willingness to share worthwhile information with others on the web dwindling rapidly. Soon it will be all worthless Twitter......
Rich