Pictures / rules / copy right

[Chri5]

Google picture search works, copy your picture to google and it will search for the same image on t'web.

 

[RF Lighting]

That's what I did. I've tried contacting many of the people using my images but I never seem to get a reply

 

[sparkasaurus]

 

[securespark]

Quoted from one of the awful websites linked to by RF:

Rcds are a further great leap forward in electrical safety. From 1 July 2008 they became, effectively, compulsory for all circuits in UK homes.

 

[NewOrder]

This happened to me once, when a competitor stole all of my images on my website. It was pictures of me fixing PCs!! Cheeky git!.

I wrote a very nasty letter with the original none photo shopped image, got no reply but the images were taken down the next day. The company was actually a supplier of mine too, and I reckon they have lost £10,000s of my business over the past 6 years for pulling that stunt.

RF I would get those ****s to take your pictures down, does it not made you mad?

Edit I see you have tried, did you threaten legal action? If you have the masters (e.g not compressed/resized for the internet) then that is enough proof you own them in this context. At least that is what my lawyer told me at the time.

 

[securespark]

You may remember my battle with a self-employed trader in the neighbouring postcode district.

I had a registered trademark which I used for my business. One day I saw a van with my logo on, turned around.

I stopped near the van then when I saw the bloke coming, I pulled over and asked what he thought he was doing stealing. He didn't twig, so I asked him where he found the logo. "From a magazine that come through the door".

I showed him my Invoices pad. "That look familiar?"

Basically, I told him he could not use it as it was my IP and a registered trademark.

He did not stop using it, so I sent a snotty letter from a solicitor. He's still using it now.

Also, I've noticed in the papers, some electrician (a different one)advertising using the same initials as my business.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Sadly, you and RF are going to have to do 2 things if you actually want these people to stop.

1) Be prepared to incur legal costs.

2) Lose all inhibitions about being reasonable, and go after them with as much aggression as you can.

 

[GeoffTitch]

I'm going to be guilty of dragging up old threads here, but this is a topic I do know something about

In essence, the Copyright, Design and Patents Act (CDPA) states that copyright vests with the original author (and that relates to whoever created the image), unless:

1. It was created in the course of employment, in which case it would normally be owned by the employer; or

2. It has been assigned to another person.

Note that 'in writing' does not have to be a formal letter, it could be simply written into the T&Cs that you sign up to when you join the forum... see the recent uproar when Facebook tried to include a right of authorship over any photos people put up.

The forum terms here mainly cover liability, and don't mention copyright. As such, any image you put up remains your copyright. There is no need to claim it or register it.

'Use for profit' is not relevant, any unauthorised use is a breach of copyright and can be pursued legally. The difference may come in the size of the remedy, i.e. if your images had been used, without permission (even acknowledgement is not permission) then you can sue and could be entitled to a portion of the profit made from the sale of, for example, the book where your images had been used.

Here is the expensive bit, there is no legal aid for copyright, and you need to be able to prove it was your image. That can take time, and solicitors charge in 6 minute time blocks... most of the time a simple 'cease and desist' notice is enough.

Registered trademarks are a different issue. They do need to be registered and protected. This provides the evidence necessary to prove, on the balance of probability, that you are the original owner.