Ok So, Tumblr

I agree, but am not willing to spend the time to correct. If this would be a domestic issue, it would be easier, but there are some countries, you really can't do anything.
So I move on, don't know if it is the right thing to do, but that's how I handle it.

If I find one that is used commercially, and the person bought it from an agency that stole it from me, I file a DMCA and usually they pay me, because they did not know, it's about a 40% chance. Theft is really not my biggest problem, it's license fraud. People will buy the smallest RF license and then use in a way that needs an extended license, that happens a lot to me.

Gunter - what about the people taking credit for creating art that isn't theirs?

i think they were bought by someone right? well before all you had to do is show my link theirs and it's gone. i don't know if its that simple anymore.


---Mike Savad

I see it like that:

Before the internet, I never lost an image to thieves. If it was published, I always got credit. The total of my images seen by other people was very low.

Today millions of people see my work and my name. Is it right that people copy ............. NO. Am I good with some stolen ones .............. Yes.

Chasing images is a waste of time and people who copy will never buy anyways. The buyers are in business or they are collectors and want the real thing and will not risk there reputation and are happy to pay.

So back to before the Internet: If I sold something, it cost me a considerable amount to make my work visible, on the net it's almost free, and many times more effective.
So if somebody wants to copy one of my images and use it in a blog, go for it and thank you.

Life is good
Gunter

JC - okay. Thanks for sharing that.

@Mike - what does Tumblr require for your proof of ownership?

to monetize a view your actual name has to be on the picture, link, description. its what i do for pinterest - $32 Mike Savad - description etc. i would do the same for tumblr. i just have to decide if it's worth while. and how hard it is to use.

---Mike Savad

I used google and converted the one in Iran to make sure it wasn't some terrorist site and a list of targets. The others, I didn't.

I am not particularly worried about it because I don't sell stock images but it is a touch disconcerting.

I can't say sales "dropped" on the image as it had only sold a few times and none of my images sell often enough for any useable statistical analysis on a single image. I can say that the fourteen thousand new views have not lead to a sale yet.

JC - Wow! So showing up on those overseas sites you have no idea what the image is being used for? Wait! You're saying it increased views on it, but reduced sales? Now that is weird. Any thoughts or theory as to why? Or is it something you're not concerned with?

Roy, I am pretty big picture about "theft" and what it means. If someone uses my image and links it back to me or at least gives me credit, I view it as free advertising.

Now, if they are using my image on a travel agency site, or even on a site in Iran offering to secure a US Visa for X amount of dollars then I view it as stolen. Tumblr is likely responsible for the 15 thousand views my one image has got in the last week with no sign of slowing down. But, the image returns 328 sites that it is now on in a google search. Many are tumblr or Pinterest or FB but then it is on sites that are written in Arabic, Hindi, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Cyrillic. The image has not sold since its new found popularity.

So, how to monetize those views is the question. My only thought is to use this in my next gallery display.

@Roy - I say in theory because it's stated in their TOS that you're not supposed to do that. I'm just not positive how well they enforce it.

@Mike - so providing a link to your site and your work is not enough for them? What proof do they require?

i've done that in the past, i need to prove it's mine and so on, but it could take years to find it. i only found it today because i got a pinterest newsletter of things i might like to pin, and i saw my work in there, but it went to a tumblr board and my name is no where to be found. i could add a link in the comments, but i think that's against rules on pin, so yeah, it's a bit of a pain. but if i put my own work there and include links, then i could have another place my things will be seen and found. i'm just trying to figure out if it's worth it or not. and how easy it is - is there a tumblr button i can install?

i know red bubble has a tumblr button there.


on tumblr though if a person claims its theirs - i do go and get them taken down.


---Mike Savad

"I" love the "in theory" part - because it's almost always "in theory" and not in actual factual reality.

Mike,

You could contact Tumblr and let them know what's going on. In theory, when people do that, it's in violation of the TOS. And by that I mean claiming your work as theirs.

Of all the social networks I use to generate traffic to my site, Tumblr sends me the most. I can't say I've made any sales as a direct result of my activity on tumblr, but I do get traffic from it.

I think it's well worth the effort. It's also my favorite social network and the one I find the most fun and rewarding.

like take my image, don't give me a link back, a name credit etc. just either a picture, or even something they claimed for themselves. as far as i'm concerned, if they take the image for their own ego, even if it's not stolen in the sense it's stolen - it's stolen to me, because it takes away a link.


---Mike Savad

"Stolen" - do you mean that they are taking your images, printing them, selling them, and you aren't getting your share? or do you mean they are simply copying the image to another website to show them off and not giving you credit nor a line back to where they can purchase the image here (or some other POD) ?

I don't know I just let you try it out first maybe I will follow.