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RE: 5 Tips about image copyright so you don't get flagged .. or sued.
My friend finds people stealing his images all the time and sends them emails asking for them to stop. I don't think they even give him credit most of the time. The internet is definitely a double-edged sword.
I have a file of literally hundreds of my images being used without my licensing fee being paid. My agencies are always in the process of tracking down some of the offenders and they have to pay up or face lawsuits, depending on the usage. It's very sad. It is a huge problem in an entitlement society. My problem with the way things work on Steemit, is that authors are making money and the photographers are not getting their licensing fees. It is basically commercial usage, and could result in models suing and other companies that are legitimately using the images suing for very big bucks. For example, with a Rights Managed image, all usages are tracked by the agencies. If a company purchases a RIGHTS Managed license, it can sue the agency big time if the image is being used somewhere else. Guess who that would be passed on to???
I think this is a whole can of worms I would not want to be in if I were using the work of others without payment being made.I know a handful of authors who pay for their stock images, and I applaud them!
Yes, being dishonest like that can cause you so much trouble its just not worth it.
It really isn't worth it is it? I can't imagine why so many are willing to take the risk of being sued. It's a very real and costly risk!
I guess they imagine its less hassle. i dunno.
That is rather infuriating. Most of them probably do it out of ignorance, but some people just don't care.
If you do a search on copyright on here, you will find a TON of posts that have made good bucks arguing why copyright is evil and a is curbing freedoms and has to be abolished! It's very disheartening - especially since the same people would have screaming fits if you stole their written content!
That is rather disheartening, and also hypocritical and insane.
It certainly is. One guy argued, and continues to argue with me when he gets the opportunity, that I can't own pixels and I can't sell something I still own. Explaining that I DO NOT SELL stock images, but only LICENSE the usage, does not make him quit the argument!
To be honest, in the first few weeks I felt like giving up on Steemit altogether, but a few good people stood behind me and I am still here! I have become like an ostrich, burying my head in the sand for a while, but you have awakened the passion I have to protect my image rights and the rights of others.
I am willing to protect the copyright of all written works, so is it asking too much for others to see that the copyright of images is protected? It has cost me many thousands of dollars in education, equipment and business overheads (not to mention my time) to produce my work.I run a business for profit - just like my dentist and plumber. I am not a charity organization. I wonder what it costs many blog writers to produce their sentence or two that I am willing to protect? Ten minutes of their time? A computer they use mostly for personal stuff anyway? Someone else's image as eye-candy? Aye, there is the rub. LOL!
I have had a couple more blog posts about the subject waiting in the sidelines for a while, so maybe now is the time to release them. My photographer friends all know about my passion for copyright education. I have given talks about it, and have written about it long before coming on Steemit! I will link to this post of yours when I post, if that is OK with you.
Please, by all means link this post :) it is frustrating to have to argue with people who say silly things like 'you can't own pixels'. Obviously never heard of the concept of intellectual property. If ideas are protected and can be bought and sold then so can pixels. Someone with that attitude will eventually end up in a situation where they get sued for infringement and it will be a costly lesson.
Thanks! Will probably do it tomorrow or the next day, as I have to tweak some things.