Online Proofs Uploaded To Facebook

[michael_buden]

<p>I have a bride that contacted me. Apparently one of her ushers whom she doesn't like, illegally print-screened some of our online proofs and posted them on his Facebook page. These are copyrighted images and he cropped out my logo and everything!<br>

I am not friends with him so I can't see them all but I know his profile photo is mine.<br>

Please help, I am unsure what to do in this case. Should I just send him a facebook message? Since I am not friends with him on Facebook it will be hard to tell if he does take them all down. I don't want to bother the bride to have her keep checking..</p>

 

[picturesque]

<p>See the following archived thread.</p>

<p><a href="00XIUe">http://www.photo.net/wedding-photography-forum/00XIUe</a></p>

<p>If the person actually cropped out your logo, I doubt he will care if you send him a warning or request to take them down. Even if you do send him a warning or take down request, it would be extremely difficult to police. This practice is a fact of life today. I personally don't post online images and even if I did, I get my money for shooting the wedding, and consequently don't much care if they end up on someone's Facebook page, even altered, as I'm sure some are. I am also not on Facebook, and even if I were, my final advice is--don't look and you won't be stressed. I am not being facetious, but perfectly serious.</p>

[theresa_skutt]

<p>Have you tried searching him? Some people don't have their facebook privacy settings checked, so you can see their wall, photos, etc. I'd find a way--it's quite a blatant infringement.</p>

[daverhaas]

<p>Best suggestion I can offer is to send Facebook an e-mail - explaining the situation and that the usher published them without permission. </p>

<p>As Nadine pointed out - once posted online - it's hard to police. In fact I've pretty much given it up. Get the money upfront and enjoy life. </p>

<p>Dave</p>

 

[michael_buden]

<p>I understand, I'm not stressed at all- there is just part of me that doesn't want people to get away with this as Theresa said, this is really a blatant infringement. Another thing is this bride is unhappy about her pictures being used without her permission as well. I suppose I should just have her confront them.</p>

[irusan]

<p>You have three options:</p>

<p><em>1. Do nothing</em>.</p>

<p><em>2. Try to communicate with him and ask he remove the images</em>. Send the usher a polite yet firm message via Facebook to let him know that, while you appreciate the fact he likes your images, he does not have permission to display the images that you shot and, under USC 17 chapter 5, section 506(d), removal of your copyright notice is a criminal offense. Then ask that he remove all of your images.</p>

<p><em>3. Send a DMCA takedown Notice</em>. If you want them off of the person's FB page and you won't deal with the guy directly, you can send Facebook a properly formatted DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) takedown notice. Fortunately, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/legal/copyright.php?copyright_notice=1">FB has a page</a> that makes sending such notices easy.<br>

However, you need to provide the URL of the images. If you're not friends with him, you likely won't be able to view his photos. But, if you can see them, right-click on each image and select "Copy Image Location" and post it in the proper box on the form.</p>

[cricketprints]

<p>Give him a price per image for limited rights to them (post, not print), if he pays you made some money, if not I like Rob's answer above.</p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Everyone's forgetting the most important problem: once they are in one person's FB page, they can be on dozens of other pages, so even if the OP manages to get the poster to remove the images, chances are they have already been distributed.</p>

<p>The game is lost. Sorry, but that's the nature of FB...and of the internet to some extend.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Well, at least he thought enough of your images to lift them....I'd try not to get too excited over the whole thing. Also, be careful about entering the "dislike dynamic" between this guy and the bride. Set your course as the friendly, easy-going photographer and avoid getting caught up in any ugliness. Yes, technically he shouldn't have done it but it's not like he caused any personal damages to you......</p>

[michaelchadwickphotography]

<p>I had this problem with an opera shoot I did, and solved it rather quickly. I even got the singer to give me some money for the shots. I did it by telling him that he had illegally downloaded the photos and that the cost of said photos was X. His options were to remove the images immediately or to pay the (very reasonable) fee for use of the images.</p>

<p>I made it easy for him to pay for the images, and did not charge him a lot. I did tell him that if he didn't choose one of those options that I would have to report him to Facebook, but did so in a very "please don't make me be a jerk here, let's solve the problem together" kind of way. I'm not saying that's how it will work out for you, but in the end I was able to make a few bucks AND prevent him from being bitter about it. He was more embarrassed than anything.</p>

<p>In the end, the money isn't worth the stress. If someone were to ask him who took the photo, he's not going to say HE did it, he's going to refer them to the bride. Maintain the health of THAT relationship at all costs.</p>

[mark_harrington1]

<p>Since he seems intent on publishing the pictures, why fight it? send him a message and inform him that you logo is put on the photos to drum up business. If he wants to continue using your photos, he will need to post them with the logo, or license the full image. - It's worth a try, if the photos are good and Face Book can help you get more business, let him spread the love. After all, wouldn't you want the images seen by the largest possible prospect base? Obviously this guy isn't trying to sell the work and it doesn't seem like he's trying to pass the pictures off as his work. If you can't beat them, join them!</p>

[theresa_skutt]

<p>What happened? Please send some follow-up for our future reference....thanks...</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Chasing down this sort of stuff is a waste of time in the consumer photo market. While in the OP's situation, the bride "doesn't like" the person who has posted the photos, far more often it will be the bride or groom or someone they DO like who is doing the posting.</p>

<p>Price yourself so that this sort of thing doesn't matter to you, be upfront about it in the beginning, and give the b&g photos sized for facebook use with your logo/copyright. It's the best you can do.</p>

<p>I promise you, having a few photos uploaded to Facebook without your permission will do a lot less damage to your bottom line than if you get a reputation as someone who won't let brides post images to the web and fights with them about it. One angry bride can do a world of hurt to future bookings. Right or wrong, people think they get that right when they hire a photographer. You can fight it if you like, but it's not a battle that is likely to go well for you.</p>