Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Recently I made a simple composite and posted it here inadvertently using an image originally posted by Linda from Maine in a thread requesting edits to be made to it. I downloaded it posted it back and it ended up in my very sloppy storage system in a place I store free stock images.
The first thing I wish to say is it would have been common courtesy to ask permission and give Linda a credit on my thread. I have apologized both to Linda and our moderator for my mistake.
But it raises the question of how many of the images made available for download here are misused? How many are stolen by people outside of UHH? And what can one do about it?
I am certainly not an expert in copyright law but if an image is used for no financial gain has any harm been done and what chance of taking any action is there in an international community such as ours? If only a small part of an image is used rather than the whole work is that different?
Please do not quote copyright laws and regulations should you wish to reply. I'm talking real world where court costs are a huge barrier and finding people overseas is an almost impossible task and if an image is used for personal rather than commercial use who cares?
Just a suggestion for FYC member who may have misgivings about images being "borrowed" is to reduce resolution to 72dpi which is fine for screen viewing and post images with the longest side no more than 1200 pixels. This I believe with limited knowledge makes getting a decent print impossible but allows screen viewing and edits if required.
Anything I post I consider in the public domain so feel free, if your silly enough, to make use of it. It would be considered polite to ask first or at least give me a credit. If it helps you make money then give what you feel is a fair proportion to a charity of your choice is all I ask.
Your views on this subject would be interesting to hear.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

My SOP is to delete right after download and what ever I did with someone's image. I don't even keep a record copy like I do for my own shots that I post. Sometimes that hurts a bit if I did what I consider a real good edit of someone's shot. If I want to keep a copy for my desktop or screen saver rotation I ask permission either on the thread or in a PM. I title them so you can tell they aren't mine or stock and since I change my folder for desktop and screen saver every so often I delete them when I do that unless I am keeping them in the rotation. Actually I have deleted the entire screen saver folder since I quite using pictures as a screen saver about a year ago. And the desktop folders will go soon, I now have folders of the work of myself, my wife, our son, our daughter that I am using as wallpaper. The old folders were pictures themed for the 4 seasons and a mixture of on line stock, my stuff and ones I got permission for here on the UHH.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

I post images with 1200 px longest side, except for those few I link via dropbox for others to work on for some reason. I have been advised by the folks I depend on to help me with advancing my own portfolio that I also need to watermark them, but I don't do that here. (The ones on my portfolio site are watermarked).

I have my own views about using others' images, probably stricter than the legal view- I don't save any that I download from UHH to examine or edit, I delete them as soon as the conversation about them is over. I would certainly ask permission from the owner if I had some inclination to use one of their images, and give credit, I don't care how recognizable it might be or how small the part or how open the owner is to sharing, as you describe yourself as being. I can only think of one time that I did use another member's image in a composite project, and it was used only after he gave his permission.

I've always been pretty free with my stuff, and never cared what anyone did with it if it pleased them, but I'm learning to exercise a little more caution than I once did. We've seen some crazy stuff happen with photos stolen from UHH, from our own section.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

The first thing I want to say is to thank you for your honesty and your willingness to make things right.

With respect to my images, perhaps I am naive, but I cannot image someone else making use of anything I post, other than perhaps in some kind of joke. However, I guess I need to at least think about the implications of what you have said. Images stored at the Pentax Forum are limited to 1280 pixels on the long side; I really hate to downscale everything to that level, because it reduces the benefit of being able to download when I have stored the original, but good practice might be for me to downscale everything to their standards when I store it in my "collected for posting" folder structure.

With respect to images downloaded from here, I don't actually do that very often, but I have a "z_uhh" folder to which I download images, and I choose to keep those images and modifications of those images in that folder, so I always know that it belongs to someone else {and I usually pick a name that tells me to whom it belongs - for example, I see images there right now labeled "sx50_linda_bridge", "sx_linda_bridge_1, etc}

TheStarvingArtist

I found one of my images promoting a soft-porn site. I had the model work with me and we convinced him to remove the image when I told him he had until 8:00 in the morning to remove the image or my attorney would be contacting him.

pfrancke Loc: cold Maine

I can't find myself worrying too much about my stuff. I DO find myself downloading my own work sometimes simply because it is easier than finding a given image on my hard drive. I think it is very important to view the work of others, it can be both inspirational, and it can give you ideas. In that sense we always stand on each others shoulders - and when we do so, dropping a word the person is a serious gift worth sharing. It is good to know that you are appreciated... if that makes sense.

The hardest thing about giving credit - is going to the trouble to do so, and often, the touch points are just little tiny things that melt together.. that is we all impact each other and sometimes we don't do a very good job letting the other guy know that. I think it is an important thing to do.

I think I am a little off topic, but trying to move the conversation into an area where I think we DO have an impact. Even though we are virtual people in the sense that we are unlikely to meet face to face, we change each other.

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

I assume you were all in the same country plus your image was being used for commercial purposes so its not so hard to understand the person who stole it may have a case to answer. If the use was non commercial would the cost involved be worth it? What damages could one expect to claim for and what would one be likely to receive.
If its overseas then what chance have you got, possibly none. If I stole an image and used it without permission first you have to find me then you find out the police are not interested and there is no other agency that will show an interest either. If you find where I live then serving any sort of papers on me would be impossible as security would not let you through the gates of where I live and if told not to accept it themselves will just turn you or your agent away.
So whilst you may have been successful its often far from an easy thing to stop or act upon once you find out an image is being used without permission.
This is why I suggested making uploads small low res images and generally of no use to a would be image thief.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Thanks for the apology, Billy. I must have inadvertently deleted your pm as it's not in my inbox.

I'm glad you started the topic of mis-use of images, though. The first I became aware was just under three years ago:

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-181016-1.html

There were over 10 UHH users, including me, whose photos ended up for sale in Fine Arts of America. Crazy!

More recently a UHH user entered one of mine and one of wowbmw's to some contest site. Once contacted, the site was super-fast in removing that person's entries and banning him, and posted information in my main forum topic about the status. I was very impressed by their quick response.

But now I find myself kind of leaning towards Piet's "not worrying too much" with respect to the gazillion places my photos might be found on the internet, though I did start re-sizing (and reduced ppi) awhile back.

I do photography as a joyous hobby, not as income or fame seeking (wink), so I assume my pursuit of monetary damages would be horribly frustrating and time consuming. I prefer to be taking photos!

Billyspad Loc: The Philippines

Someone sent me this which is from UHH I believe

SUBMISSIONS
Visitor agrees as a condition of viewing, that any communication between Visitor and Website is deemed a submission. By making a submission, Visitor grants the administration and the owners of the Website a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licenseable and transferable license to use in any way, reproduce and distribute the submission and prepare derivative works of the submission without further permission. This includes commercial and non-commercial use of all submissions, including portions thereof, graphics contained thereon, or any of the content of the submission. Visitor agrees to only communicate that information to the Website, which it wishes to forever allow the Website to use in any manner as it sees fit. "Submissions" is also a provision of the Privacy Policy."

So it seems that once you post an image here Admin can do with it as they wish so my attitude is why worry about anyone using it as well!

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

It is part of my pension plan that one or more of the staggeringly good images I post will be hijacked, used for a major advertising campaign, and then be the source of huge compensation, upon which I will live very comfortably. Just waiting. No time for further comment as I'm off to make another staggeringly good image.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

WOW! I've never seen this. So if it is UHH policy, I think everyone should be aware of it. It sort of says if you post here, expect to lose your rights to your image! I get disturbed by people blatantly taking images off this site to use as wallpaper or whatever. I've sold images to companies that sell images as wallpaper, and even though I didn't make much, (nor did the company), the idea of someone snagging one for free is very distasteful to me. I've had people send me a thank you message (not a permission request) when they used my image. People seem to think if it's on the 'Net, it's free. My ethics say that's a violation of not only copyright law but good ethics. If you want something, ASK. Otherwise, you stole it!

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

The subject of the UHH T&C has cropped up a number of times in the past. Admin did explain the reason for the terms, I forget exactly what it was but it was accepted by almost all as reasonable. I have yet to find a photo sharing site or forum that does not have these or similar T&C.

I have found Admin's explanation: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-1742-1.html

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

Ah, you just put a broadside through my pension plan Graham!

Graham Smith Loc: Cambridgeshire UK

I know some nice gentlemen who work for the Nigerian Government that could help you with your pension Dave

St3v3M Loc: 35,000 feet

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