Stolen U.S. Family Photo used in Czech Billboard Ads

[Damon DAmato]

<p><a href="http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/are-you-kidding-me/stolen-picture/">Pretty crazy story.</a> <br /> Apparently, the photo was stolen from their Facebook page.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>It probably happens more than we know, and I'm not surprised at all.</p>

<p>However, it is a smaller world these days as that pretend-anthropologist Jared Diamond has found out (he and the New Yorker are being sued for 10 million dollars by Papua-New Guinea people he "appropriated" in <em>a New Yorker</em> article (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/22/new-guinea-tribe-sues-the_n_189841.html">link</a> )).</p>

<p>May the family in this case do well in their law suit against these people who just assume that if they use it in a local language, they'll never get caught.</p>

[peter_wang6]

<p>And this is why (1) don't post your personal life online, or if you do, (2) post only what you're willing to let everyone else know/copy, and even then (3) don't post full-size images, or put a giant watermark over them.</p>

<p>I've never understood the appeal of Facebook or Myspace or Twitter or blogging. Even if I were so self-absorbed or conceited to think that the rest of the world wants to know the minutiae of my life--and I'm not--I certainly wouldn't bare it all for everyone to see. That's what paparazzi and tabloids are paid to do. I don't need to do their job for free.</p>

<p>Everything you put on the internet is for the whole world. No matter how you try to restrict it, it is sitting somewhere on some server, and eventually, if someone wants it enough, they can have it. It is out of your control, for all eternity. Even the words we type here. But as the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. I'd say it's closer to several million....</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Stuff like this happens all the time; it is ancient history.<br /> <br /> One had flatbed scans of foldouts on BBS's before the internet.<br /> <br /> The picture "size" requirements are very small for a poster or a billboard; most folks are off maybe a 1 to 100 in file size; thus they do not care if the post images on the web; they brains think one needs a drum scan from a 8x10 view cameras negative to make a poster.<br /> <br /> Wedding photographers give out "proofs" that one can make a 16x20" from or a wall poster; or four billboards.<br>

<br /> It is most common that images are placed in the web; then lifted; then used for another purpose.<br /> <br /> Most folks want to place sloppy huge detailed cool images on the web; and think somehow there is some giant international policing of images done by others. Even mid sized images get lifted; reused.</p>

<p>In movies full res screener versions pop up on torrents before the movie has hit the movie theater circuit. Folks post images on Ebay of actors with enough resolution to make a giant poster.<br>

<br /> <br /> In a mythical world one could place all these moderate and high res images on the internet; and everybody would be goodie two shoes. In reality that cool sunset; cat or family image might be used 12000 miles away hawking goods; your image gotten free of change.<br>

<br /> Controlling "stuff" released into the wild ie internet is not easy; your image might be used in a calendar in 2010; and you only discover it 30 years later or never.</p>

[kelly_flanigan1]

<p>Reading the comments about the billboard by others is a big laugh; many folks still do not understand that a poster or billboard has a super low requirement for image size; even VGA is ok many times.<br>

<br /> With larger than VGA one has even more to deal with; one can crop; or allow a closer viewing distance.<br>

<br /> About every two days on photo.net somebody asks how large an image can be printed with their XYZ digital; when a 80 buck Walmart P&S is a vast overkill for a 12x48 ft billboard.<br>

<br /> With non photo.net folks and cable/dsl; it doesnt matter to some if they upload a full jpeg from their 6 megapixel camera; there was little upload bog.<br>

<br /> Thus images today are often way higher res in the past web days; folks are sloppy. Billboards and posters are often viewed at large viewing distances; thus most all folks are off by one or two orders of magnitude as to what file/image size is required; thus their wedding proofs make fine posters.</p>

[longname]

<p>Happened with Enigma too. Jared Diamond is a "geology scholar"? Moral of the story: make sure the tribe you're stealing from doesn't have access to media.<br /> http://new.music.yahoo.com/various-artists/news/enigma-sued-by-aboriginal-couple-over-song-rights--12049600</p>

[James G. Dainis]

I'm amazed that there are thousands of posts from people all saying the same five or six things.

[joseph_leotta]

<p>I lke one of the comments in the story about watermarking photos that you post.</p>

[tholte]

<p>"I've never understood the appeal of Facebook or Myspace or Twitter or blogging. Even if I were so self-absorbed or conceited to think that the rest of the world wants to know the minutiae of my life--and I'm not--I certainly wouldn't bare it all for everyone to see." Some people like to share, others don't. </p>

[peter_wang6]

<blockquote>

<p>Some people like to share, others don't.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I get that, I honestly do. But there were (and still are) ways to share without memorializing it online in perpetuity.</p>

<p>I briefly joined the Facebook craze to see what it was about. I'm not a Luddite by any means--I love to use the latest technology. But there was something tremendously unsettling about having my personal data--where I went to school, my location, my friends, my interests--stored and cross-indexed on some server with no real security or privacy. It disturbed me that people would consider the convenience of using such services as outweighing the privacy issues involved. But ultimately, I deleted everything because the whole experience left me cold. The process just didn't resonate with me. It came down to the fact that despite all our technology, I still want to meet and learn and interact with people in person. I want to see their faces, hear their voices. I want to converse with them in a way that is intimate, real-time.</p>

<p>There is something dehumanizing about learning about what my friends are doing 160 character chunks at a time. Is it sharing? In a sense, yes. Is it worthwhile? Not for me.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>Some people use Google Image Search instead of stock photos now. Happens all the time. People needing, say, a photo of a family to use in some graphic, type in family in Google Image Search. choose Extra Large, and use the one they like. Could come from anywhere.</p>

<p>At my last (architecture) firm I had to explain to my boss why it's not legal, and pretty pointless anyway considering how easy and cheap (or free) it was for us to use real stock photos. The internet is full of people who don't know it's illegal or see nothing wrong with it.</p>

[keith selmes]

<p>my experience with the social networking stuff -</p>

<p>Myspace is for promoting your band, or your movie or your acting work.</p>

<p>Facebook is for older people keeping up with what the kids who never write are doing.<br>

(and sometimes being shocked rigid!)</p>

<p>Blogging is a professional tool for presenting a page of useful information with irregular updates about<br>

progress on current projects, upcoming conferences, perhaps your succint opinion of a recent industry trend or new product.<br>

(I used to say blogs were a good way of boring people via the internet, but that has changed)</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>Professionals are smart enough to take precautions and they have an income to preserve and are smart and not naive about this rot. The internet is a big social circle. And rumors and allegations can be like Peyton Place young PTA wives club and old VFW club. An allegation or post is an an allegation until it hits the web is what I am getting at.....then it gets to be a half truth or a no truth. It happens.<br>

One has to develop a stomach for this sort of pilferage of images. And across borders, I am doubtful that it is going to be compensated. What I fail to understand is this: There are so many image rental sites nowadays for stock pictures, why be cheesy enough to steal the damn thing.</p>

 

[KenPapai]

<p><em>"Facebook is for older people keeping up with what the kids who never write are doing.<br /> (and sometimes being shocked rigid!)"</em></p>

<p>LOTS of teeny boppers on Facebook. For sure MySpace is largely about promotion and marketing (and the typical teeny bopper total nonsense). FB has its share of inscrutable teen-aged chatter. It's a more adult place though for marketing.</p>

<p>Lots of adults on Facebook -- use it for keeping best in touch with close family, relatives, colleagues, teammates, and friends. Works VERY well if you're so inclined. Once you learn the rules of Facebook's 604 px limit on images and filesizes, you can post decent work in that postage stamp format.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Is she complaining because she did not make any money, or that the picture turned out bad ? </p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Is she complaining because she did not make any money, or that the picture turned out bad ? </p>

[marty_hunger]

<p>Ok, i totally do not understand the problem. If someone stole a picture of my family to use for an advertisement i would feel flattered. Why would you care. Is it that she wanted money from it? I do not understand why anyone cares unless the photo is being used in some abusive manner. Seems to me this is just about money. And if you were planning on using your photos to submit to a show or sell, then for gawds sake why would you have them on facebook. To me its get over yourself. You have a nice photo you weren't using for anything, someone else admired it and did use it. Sooooooooo</p>

[peter_wang6]

<blockquote>

<p>Ok, i totally do not understand the problem. If someone stole a picture of my family to use for an advertisement i would feel flattered.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Even if you discovered you and your family's faces were being used, say, to sell sex toys? Or prescription drugs to treat genital herpes?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Why would you care.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would care because my likeness should not be used for someone else's financial gain unless I approve of it beforehand. You've clearly not thought this through very well. It's not about ME wanting money or compensation. It's about my rights as a person to choose if and how my likeness should represent some product or service.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Is it that she wanted money from it?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No. This woman was featured on National Public Radio today, and she spoke about what happened, how she discovered the misuse of her image, and in fact she accepted partial responsibility for the situation because she admitted that she uploaded the photo to a website at too high a resolution and without any watermark, which then permitted the grocery store to copy and use it. Not once did she say she wanted to be paid for that unauthorized use.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I do not understand why anyone cares unless the photo is being used in some abusive manner.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Well, how do you define "abusive?" Isn't it abusive for a company to use you to sell something without even asking you if that's okay? It's not flattering at all, because it demonstrates a complete lack of respect for your right to even KNOW that they're doing this.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Seems to me this is just about money.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Because you aren't thinking.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>And if you were planning on using your photos to submit to a show or sell, then for gawds sake why would you have them on facebook.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The woman never had any intention of using those photos for commercial purposes. She put them up on Facebook because she wanted to share them with friends. She put them on her blog because she wanted people to see them and enjoy them in the way that she intended. You are assuming something that is simply not true.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>To me its get over yourself. You have a nice photo you weren't using for anything, someone else admired it and did use it. Sooooooooo</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Wow. So I guess if I ever see a picture of you, or any of your work, you won't mind if I use it to depict you however I want, and not tell you about it. I'll call it fine art, make tens of thousands off you. And if you don't like it, well, too bad, because you just need to get over yourself. Thanks in advance.</p>

[twmeyer]

<p>The photo was NOT taken from Facebook, it was posted at a high resolution on a personal blog. She was told about the large window sign by a Facebook friend.</p>

<p>http://www.extraordinarymommy.com/blog/are-you-kidding-me/stolen-picture/</p>

<p>Facebook automatically re-sizes your uploaded image to 576 pixels in the largest dimension.</p>

<p>Get this story straight by clicking on this link, which is the blog of the woman in the photo with her family... t</p>