On November 18th I wrote an article on “Image Thieves – Copyright Violations”
Sites that really make me angry? Free W a l l p a p e r sites that steal images from all over the internet and offer them for free download and many of those sites are earning income through advertisements on the pages.
If you read the article you may recall that it was very hard to track down the hosting provider to send a DMCA Takedown Notification because the owner; Ana, kept switching hosting providers rather rapidly. I finally was able to get the DMCA complaint to her most current hosting provider after I wrote my article.
This is what W a l l p a p e r Fever dot com looked like with my images shown on the page and it also shows how another photographer replaced their images on their own server with a “Hotlink” graphic that would show instead of their illegally used image.
The owner of this website had NO right to display my images, they did not have my authorization to display or redistribute my images or MY work for free download.
In my complaint I mentioned to the hosting provider that the owner of W a l l p a p e r Fever dot com was a repeat offender.
Apparently other photographers sent in DMCA complaints because last night I decided to check to see if any more of my images were used without my authorization on the site and was quite pleased to see that when you go to their URL all you see is a page that is typically used as a domain placeholder!
My images and those of other photographers are no longer displayed on the site!
When you find your images used illegally on a site send in those DMCA complaints, one voice might not seem like much but together we do have power!
It worked with this site and its owner.
Mia
Thank you thank you thank you! This is all good information. I hate this theft stuff.
You are most welcome Chris!
Hi! Great job! You and others deserve to have your images not stolen and used for other peoples profit. You keep after all the thieves. You worked too hard in all kinds of weather , rough areas to have your wonderful works stolen. Go Lady!
Thank you Mom, I will keep after the thieves for my own images and when I see someone else’s work I let them know too.
I haven’t come across my things, maybe ’cause I’m not as photographer as you.
I doubt that Bob, some times the images are hard to find. Look on Pinterest, copyright infringement is rampant there.
Way to go Mia! This is exactly what I was asking about the other day. Friends and I have been having similar experience. It is good to see that persistence pays.
Thanks Mia. I just feel that if all of us photographers send in those complaints we can do far more about copyright infringement than if we just ignore the abuse. I’ve already filled another DMCA complaint this morning.
Mia McPherson, Wonder Woman of online photography justice.
I don’t know about Wonder Woman Robert but it sure ticks me off when people make even a small amount of money from illegally displaying a hard working photographers images, mine or anyone else’s.