Using My Image Without My Permission.

Send them a bill for 3 hundred bucks

I recommend perusing this thread.

http://fineartamerica.com/showmessages.php?messageid=2664095

There are companies that support artist by going after this type of infringement.

and its not like they can say it was some stock image they found randomly.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Thank you very much JC! Appreciate the link.
You are right, Mike.

CHA-CHING! You just made yourself a little bundle of cash. Go get them!!!

How did you find out? I don't think i would ever know if someone stole any of my images.

Hi Patti. I simply google my name. Or you can upload your images using Google but I don't have time to do that.

http://stopstealingphotos.com/find-images-stolen/

Phyllis, I have contacted ImageRights.com. This is the first time I use their service.

Good luck Stacey. Beautiful work.

Thank you Kristalin. Keeping my fingers crossed.

and of course don't forget your screen grabs


oh and check to see if they have a facebook page or anything else, that might have it there.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Great advice Mike. Thank you.

Must be another bad intern.

I tried using the image search function and put in the url and I get this message "The url you entered is not valid is not publicly accessible"! This image was uploaded onFAA 1 year ago!

Just know Stacey that with ImageRights.com it can take 6 - 9 months before you ever win a case. They will tell you within a few weeks if they will take the case on. From there it is many months usually.

Sharon, thanks for letting me know. I have emailed downtoearthknoxville, and told them to remove my image or pay a small fee to keep it. I have not heard from them yet. Perhaps for a small case like this, it's better for me to deal directly with them so the problem can be resolved soon.

Try upload your image Judy.

.

I use Pixsy, and they clearly state that contacting the infringing site owner yourself can make it harder for them to pursue compensation for the use of your image. Nothing wrong with contacting them, I sometimes do that too for smaller or non-commercial sites, but just so you know for next time. It's either you contact them or you have a firm like Image rights contact them, not both.

Hopefully the site owners will be upstanding folks who just (like just about every other person) are ignorant of copyright infringement and you can negotiate a fair fee for continued use. :)

Thank you so much Cynthia for your advice. Will keep that in mind. I just received an email from the site owner. She said she is an artist herself and she respects my work so she decides to remove my image and replace with a new one. Problem solved.

I was told by ImageRight that I can't make claims of copyright infringement from site owners who registered their websites outside of US (mainly Asia, South America). I just have to live with the fact that some of my images are being "displayed out there for free for a good cause". You win some, you lose some.

It will happen. Lot's of my images are displayed in the photos of the websites and some YouTube movies. But they all do mention my name. Some of them (e.g. my painting of the Eiffel Tower and digital artwork of Ponte Vecchio) are claimed best artwork presentations of these favorite places. I can't argue with that! :)
However, I am a little bothered that my watercolor still life paintings are duplicated in China and painted in oil (without my permission).

Irina
http://www.artirina.com/

One of them copied 13 of my images. My name is mentioned. She added my profile picture and hoped viewers will be inspired by my work on her webpage "drawing tutorial". I see that as free publicity. :) Others mentioned the links where they copied my images. One offers my image as "free images" on her website. Basically, it's use it at your own risk. I have emailed her to remove my image. Can't do much if she refuses to do it.

Thanks for your comment Irina. Your work is beautiful.

Stacey Chiew
...I have emailed downtoearthknoxville, and told them to remove my image or pay a small fee to keep it. I have not heard from them yet. Perhaps for a small case like this, it's better for me to deal directly with them so the problem can be resolved soon.


Have you ever heard about google DMCA? Use this (by sending report) to easily remove your work from the sites that don't want to do it on your order. They will loose also the whole page with their article or offer - some kind of punishment from Google ;)

I'm surprised that some authors accept the infringement when they find artist name under the image... L O L ! Even if you sell the license you still have the right to choose if you want it to be credited to you or not and it has nothing to do to help the thief in infringement case.
Or in other words: (1) thief uses your image without your permission and (2) he does not add your name credit info under image. Two separate cases, two different rights...

My experience is - always send the case to the firm which will represent you (more powerful to get more money from the thief) and not do this directly. But I'm not so good as Sharon is and it's not easy to do it yourself...
Also remember that the "small case" may be commercial and large/ good enough to make it worth the effort of one email to enforcement firm ;)

Thank you Arletta for your input. Yes, I let the experts deal with them now but even the experts can only deal with some of them, others, they just have to let them go because it's not worth it or they can't do anything about it. Hopefully, for the latest case, I can make some extra money.

Any other good firm besides ImageRight and Pixsy? Copyrightenforcers.com is under construction.