Ever done a google search and found your work . . . on someone else's website!!!

I understand that imitation is considered flattery, but when your actual pictures have been used, it is just downright theft  :evil:

http://creativeinflation.blogspot.com/2 ... -moss.html

and my website for comparison http://www.chesterproductions.net.nz/
I think I counted 11 pictures in total.

I have acknowledged on my website the designers or influences on my work, but I am left speechless to see my pictures elsewhere

I think I have recognised other's work there too

Not sure how to word the email yet, just getting over the shock  :shock:

This exact topic came up on another balloon forum I'm part of, and I thought you may find the information very relevant.  You can find it here //http://balloon-animals.com/forum/index.php/topic,4489.0.html.

I feel a bit goofy putting my watermark on everything, but each time I think about not doing it, I see something like this come up.  What's so wrong with only presenting your own work to potential clients?!!

Sent to the website email address...   :roll:   lets see what happens


Hi there.


Your website has pictures of a ferris wheel myself and my colleague Lisa created. plus her design of a NZ Weta.


As you have not received permission from either of us to use the photo's I expect you to remove them immediately please, as I'm sure you did not intend to do so, maybe even someone else made the website for you.


Please let me know ASAP when it has been done.  It may also pay to go through the site and remove any pictures you do not have express consent to display that may from artists other than myself.


Many thanks...
 
Charles Dolbel
www.CharlesDolbel.BalloonHQ.com

Goodness there are lots of other peoples work including the find a twister image I made for the forum on there. It's sad and a shame really that others seem to see no problem with taking others images that they have worked hard to produce, photograph and have professionally put onto there websites.
I shall be sending an email and it will be polite as we need not to stoop to others levels.

Thanks Graham.  I couldn't remember where I had seen the original of this.  Is it yours?
Lisa

if any one uses firefox web browser use this add on and you can see who is using your pictures   https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... -pictures/

The find a twister image is mine, we did it a few years back and my web designer photo shopped it a bit to much I think. Have downloaded the who stole my image add on.
Not sure if I'm using it correctly, I click on one of my images and then right click who stole in google and then nothing happens.
I have sent an email to the website concerned.

On the offending website there is a button which says "report abuse" which reports to the blog that the website is based on.

Ironically at the very bottom there is a banner for Copyscape with a plea not to copy!

when i use who stole my image it give the info in a new google tab bar at the top of the screen just click to open

hope this helps

I had someone steal the entire content of my website before!

I often find people rob from me which is why I always have to try and stay one step ahead. You will notice that all my photos are taken with one of two backgrounds of places within my own home. Not that it really matters but at least I can prove where the photos were taken.

Check this one on facebook.... this is the same guy who robbed my site which he shutdown and has just copied the text onto facebook. Time for action.

MY ORIGINAL TEXT

Darren has been studying and performing magic for over 15 years specialising in children's entertainment and close-up magic for private parties, schools, clubs, weddings, charity galas and corporate events.

By launching his MagicWorks show in 2002, Darren has created something different from the standard kid's magic show.

This show has proven popular with children of all ages and is in constant demand.

Darren has performed at many private parties and corporate events from small homes to large venues, both indoor and outdoor, with audiences comprising of 10 to 500 children including those with special needs.

FROM  Mister Twister Entertainments - Darren Bonas

Darren has been studying and performing magic for over 22 years specialising in children's entertainment and close-up magic for private parties - schools - clubs - weddings - charity galas and corporate events.
By launching his Magical FUN Show show in 1987 - Darren has created something different from the standard kid's magic show.

This show has proven popular with children of all ages and is in constant demand. Darren has performed at many private parties and corporate events from small homes to large venues, both indoor and outdoor, with audiences comprising of 10 to 500 children including those with special needs.

Thanks so much for that Nippy.

Through "who stole my pictures"  I found he also had a picasa web album.  I also did a search and found the rest of my portfolio on his Facebook page.

Sadly and ironically he had this to say about his business card:

"This card took many hours to create but was never printed, because the original file was on the laptop computer that was unfairly stolen and never returned. Hopefully, the girl who took it never has to suffer through having her entire life stolen too"

I have sent a polite email requesting all of my images be removed (and specified which ones they were), and will await with interest to see if he does.

Failing that, I can possibly report him to picasa.  Unfortunately at the bottom of my website it has a Creative Commons License copyright symbol (it came with the software used to upload the photos), which means people can rip stuff off, but just not for profit.

So have a look at your websites people, and change the copyright to something more robust.

I'm off to put watermarks on all my images now!!

Dear Nippy99,
Once again i would like to applogise for the FACEBOOK error, yes my current website design company who has only just done my FACEBOOK page did use OLD TEXT from my OLD Website, which was a blatent Copy of YOUR Website......
Once again i have to say that the original Company who told me that they would produce an ORIGINAL website etc, DID NOT !, it was a COMPLETE RIP OFF of a mixture of 3 different Original websites, Nippy99`s and Will`s and one other from the London Area.
Since the website went LIVE i had call after call from fellow entertainers & magicians about STEALING there Website designs & layouts & texts, once again i can not appologise enough for THIS COMPANY who did this !, NOT ME.

As well as being a complete fool of !, i was also a victim of Identity theft ! seemingly from the same company, who managed to remove my contents from my bank account.
As this is a police matter i am not allowed to mention the company name until they deal with them, hopefully catching them before they do this to another entertainer or small business.

So once again i will ammend my FACEBOOK page, to MY TEXT also once again make an appology to Darren aka Nippy99.
I do hope you accepy my appology as a fellow entertainer & Balloon modeller.
I really do appreciate the art of ORIGINALALITY in our work, from Acts, routines & business ethics ie websites etc.

yours truly.
Darren Bonas.

There is a lengthy debate going on about the said website on BalloonHQ, I emailed Rick and got a very long reply back explaining things. He does have one of my images on the website which I'm happy for him to leave on as long as he gives credit with a mention about balloon chat and a link. If not I have asked him to take the image down.
Why would you put other peoples images on your site? We possibly all know the answer to this?

Rick has put a link from the find a twister picture he took from the forum and does now give me a mention, I think he would have been better off taking all the pictures that are not his off the site as soon as he was asked by others as I know a few have been in touch with him and there are some comments on balloonhq that are not very favourable about him or his site.