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Copyright Violation 101... don't learn this lesson the hard way!

garaughty, blog design, graphics, marketing, wordpress

Hi guys, I want to start off by saying that this post has nothing to do with the graphics I share and/or give away here on ActiveRain. When I post free blog graphics, wallpapers, calendars for you to use, it's because I want to and I'm more than happy to do it. That being said...

I'm not sure why some people on the net insist on learning things the hard way but I wanted to share my latest weekend adventure in hopes that anyone who still doesn't understand the consequences of copyright violation, will learn from someone else's mistakes and avoid being hit with a serious fine and/or legal action.

Here we go... once in awhile I try to take a weekend off... no work, no emails, no blogging. I thought this weekend would just be food, fun, watching movies & hockey. As often happens, I was wrong! I spent my Sunday afternoon taking the steps necessary to deal with another graphic artist using my work without my permission.

2 or 3 times a year, someone with even less brains than talent seems to test my willingness to defend the copyright to my artwork & graphics.

Late Saturday night I received an email from a fellow Rainer telling me about a custom Twitter background she had won from a graphic designer. Cool. I'm happy for my Rain friend. But there is a little problem, actually a BIG problem!!!

The graphic designer running the Twitter contest had taken one of my graphics (without my knowledge or consent), edited my work and pieced it back together with some text, a photo and a bunch of other stuff to the point that it looked like a really bad MySpace page.

Not only was this illegal and a copyright violation of my work, the amature, hacked up result of what she created (using my graphic as a starting point) reflects badly on me because my images are fairly unique and easy to recognize.

I've spent years developing my own style and a rock solid reputation. Having someone hack up one of my graphics to give away in a Twitter contest without my knowledge or consent is copyright violation at it's worst and judging by what I saw on their blog, they seem to be doing the same thing with other people's work. But that isn't my main concern.

garaughty, blog design, graphics, marketing, wordpress

If you're new to blogging and aren't aware of how serious and costly it can be to violate someone's copyrights, take a look at...

this post by Lenn Harley...

DON'T BE TRICKED BY WIKIPEDIA! Just because you believe it is in the "Public Domain" doesn't mean that it is. Even when someone says it is.

and from Rich Jacobson...

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words? How About a Thousand Dollars?" Community Guidelines Re-Visited

and a definition from Wikipedia...

Copyright infringement (or copyright violation) is the unauthorized use of material that is covered by copyright law, in a manner that violates one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.

garaughty, blog design, graphics, marketing, wordpress

The reason I take this much more seriously than years ago is because it happens more and more often. Some people think that the net is such a BIG place that they'll never get caught. THEY'RE WRONG!!!

Years ago when I found someone using my work without permission I simply sent them a warning. Unfortunately a polite warning doesn't always work, especially if it's not backed up with "teeth" and a law firm.

After discovering one pinhead using an image he grabbed from my website and selling it as greeting cards on Cafe Press, that was the final straw. I began taking copyright violations much more seriously, found 2 law firms that specialize in internet law and copyright infringement if/when I have to take further action.

I have no idea why some people only seem to learn things the hard way or only when they receive a letter from a lawyer but this kind of stuff is so easy to avoid.

Reality # 1 is that if someone asks my permission to use one of my graphics on their blog or website, 99% of the time I say YES. Additional exposure never hurts and as long as I'm given credit for my work, I usually have no problem if someone wants to use it.

Reality # 2 is that with decent digital cameras costing just a couple of hundred dollars and stock photos & clip art available for free or next to nothing, there is no reason for anyone to take a chance stealing and using other people's work without permission.

Reality # 3 is that so many of us are connected in so many ways on the net, eventually someone will notice the copyright violation.

Reality # 4 is that when issuing judgments and penalties, the courts often look at how well someone defends their work so more and more creators of images, music, etc... agressively pursue every copyright violation.

Reality # 5 is that the one time someone gets caught violating a copyright, it can cost them anywhere from $750 tp $150,000 (see Lenn Harley's post above) so it's definitely not worth taking a risk.

To protect yourself, if you didn't create the images you're using you should always ask or be able to verify where the image came from before using it on your blog, website, business card, etc...

If you hire someone to design a blog, website, business card, you win a Twitter background or whatever, ask the designer what the source of the image is. It never hurts to ask them if that image they just created is 100% their own work. Otherwise you might end up on the wrong end of a hefty fine.

My point isn't to scare you, it's to make you aware of the realities of copyright violation and to be sure it doesn't happen to you.

If you want to use someone's images, all you have to do is ASK PERMISSION and many or most will say yes. But using, editing and giving away images that don't belong to you can be a very expensive lesson.

garaughty, blog design, graphics, marketing, wordpress

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garaughty, blog design, graphics, marketing, wordpress

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The posts listed below are just a small sample of the news, ideas and resources from the past few days by some of the sharp cookies that hang out in The Art Of Marketing You group

- How To Create and Maximize Your Outside Blog Brad Andersohn

- ActiveRain Comments - Did You Know? Brad Andersohn

- Add $50,000 to your bottom line: Hit your target with your links! Bob Stewart

- I WONDER HOW SO MANY FOLKS BECAME EXPERTS IN SO MANY FIELDS?? Lenn Harley

- New Form Of Identity Theft--Agents AND Consumers BEWARE of Craigslist Scam Debe Maxwell

- Lake Norman Real Estate's April Wallpaper Calendar Diane Aurit

- Is Somebody Using Your Username on Social Media Sites? How to Check! Wendy Timmons

- Please Take Safety Precautions When Displaying Addresses On The Net! Midori Miller

- It's Not Your Brand...It is What You Do Missy Caulk

- Defining Success Sally Cheeseman

- That Sneaky SOB - I Can't Believe He Did That! Leesa L. Finley

- Is your target audience and your target market finding each other? Todd Clark

- The New Nano Blogging... Making Fun of Twitter... Hilarious! Mirela Monte

- SEO and local expert status. The two go hand in hand to generate leads! Richard Weisser

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If you're wondering how to customize your blog, take a look at our group's guidelines page for tutorials and graphics that you can download and use on your Active Rain blog.

If you have questions about technology, blog design or building web presence, let me know and I'll try to answer them in a future post!

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http://twitter.com/garaughty

If you'd like to participate in any of our upcoming marketing partnerships or to stay on top of all the new graphic goodies we'll be giving away, please subscribe to our blog using the button below...

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For more info about how we can help you stand out from the crowd, contact GiselleStCyr@garaughty.com

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Posted by marti garaughty on 04/06/2009 02:35 PM

Comments (96)

Originally posted at: The Blog Artist: Copyright Violation 101... don't learn this lesson the hard way!

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96 Comments on Copyright Violation 101... don't learn this lesson the hard way!

APR

Thanks Marti.

For the record. I don't communicate with copyright violators. The first notice they get is from my attorney through a "Cease and Desist and Demand for Damages".

The fact that they have my copyright protected property on their web site is enough to establish damages. The only thing left is how much they will pay.

They either settle quickly or we let the judge decide.

So much to think about with this one. I am sorry that this continues to happen - and with the frequency of posts like this one, it is obviously a big problem. I love free clip art - it is the only way I would survive because I am a horrible photographer. I appreciate all of your unique images and hated having to take off the March calendar graphic that I won this week. Thank you for sharing all of your talent!

Marti, glad our win comes straight from the designer himself. Sorry to hear though that your week-end was ruined because of this. Here I didn't want to bother you... thanks for the reminders that we all need to heed.

Lenn... hi, so far I've been able to settle every violation with a warning and an invoice ranging from $1000 to $5000 depending on the seriousness of the damage. Some people never learn.

Sheila... the thing is most photographers, artists, etc... are happy to get extra exposure. It's when people steal our work and use or re-use it without permission is where the problems begin. If you buy clipart you have nothing to worry about.

Re calendars, if you send me your email addr. I have an April wallpaper/calendar that you're welcome to use.

Lee & Pam... absolutely, I sent you an email on Friday, just send me the details and I'll get started on it for you. Later...

Marti... Great information for the uninformed, the cost can be very high for the lazy and ignorance is not bliss. I thank you for your inspiration. Steve (P.S. I read almost everything Lenn has to say..she's right on).

Steve... I'm hoping this example will wake up people who still grab images and post them just because they feel like it. I'd hate to see this happen to anyone here in the Rain but I still see a few members posting images they shouldn't be using.

Marti,

Thanks for the reminder and tips on protecting copyright.

This is a very confusing area for a lot of people.

Given that lots of folks think it is ok to download music off the internet at no charge (illegally), the culture of copyright violation being ok is not a stretch.

Blog Artist...

We are guilty of learning the hard way. We once got chased down and negotiated a large 'image use' fee down to $800. It started in the thousands. It was before we had ever heard of Lenn :)

Sorry someone tore up your work but look how you're able to use this to pass down the food for thought? I know not much of a consolation prize is it? :)

TLW...ROAR!

Marti, with the amount that you give to us freely, it's a shame that some people want more. Someone scared the @#$% out of me when I first started so my pictures on my blog will never look as good as some others, but they're mine.

Very good article, thank you for your professionalism and sharing.

Andrew... my pleasure. I have better things to do with my time but this happens a lot and for those who get caught, it can cost them BIG time so I thought I'd share it.

Billie... unfortunately most people learn by accident. My latest violator has already learned their lesson. I hope you're mending well. ;-)

Connie... better to be scared than sued. Plus there are many people willing to share their images if asked.

Sandra... my pleasure.

Sorry to hear of your exerience. That is disappointing.

You mentioned "DON'T BE TRICKED BY WIKIPEDIA! Just because you believe it is in the "Public Domain" doesn't mean that it is. Even when someone says it is."

I always wonder whether that translates to:

"Don't be tricked by Flickr just because you are told the member is the owner and offered the photo with a Creative Common License." they say it's theirs to share but "Even when someone says it is" do you ever really, really know?

and "Don't be fooled by ActiveRain's Re-Blog", you Re-Blog something and later find out that the person you Re-blogged cut and pasted the content from another source...and offered to let anyone Re-Blog it...

I remember someone blogging about that happening. No one should syndicate any content from another because you really don't know if it is their content "even when someone says it is"

Marti~ I think you are on the right track nipping this sort of thing in the bud. As you state, most of the time, if you ask for permission you will get it.. and why not give credit to the original artist? I just don't get it! You are a very talented individual and you have worked very hard to create your images.. they are outstanding!

Marti..did you say April calender??? OPPS I hope you don t mean me????

I always say art by marti grapics

Marti...I appreciate all the freebies you give to the AR community...sorry you have to deal with this copyright violation..what an experience to go through.

Maureen... very good points re Flickr, etc... I'm not an authority so I won't even try to answer but it's better to be safe than sorry. Contacting the creator of the work and getting their permission is the best way to go next to creating your own images or to hire someone.

Joan... I had to change my attitude, it was getting out of hand. As you see on AR I'm happy to share/give away stuff but when someone grabs my images, edits it and uses it as their own work that is a whole new ballgame.

Hannah... not a problem at all. The graphics, wallpapers, calendars I share here and available for you guys to use. I make that clear and public when I post them. This was someone on Twitter using my images in their own graphics. Not cool. :-(

P.S. I have an April calendar you're welcome to use if you want one this month. Just send me a quick email so I don't forget.

Rebecca... I'm happy to give you guys stuff when I have time to do it. This was just one of those things that happens now and then.

Great post. Very informative. I love your work.

Tim... thx so much, hopefully this post will save a few people from learning the hard way.

Marti, with all your generousity, the free stuff you offer,it is sad to hear, that someone has to steal your so clearly visible creations, (that everyone on AR knows is your creation). Ironically some of us are so slow, we do not even take the free stuff that you offer.

Every post I write is worth a buck to istockphoto.com. It is after all a representation of me.

I am not saying anything about not contacting the individual, the owner of the stuff. I am not condoning stealing people's work but if I want to share "my stuff" via Flickr, ActiveRain, Wikipedia, whatever and everyone is being "better safe than sorry"... I lose.

Marti, you do create some of the most attractive art and graphics I have ever seen, so I can see why people would be attracted to your work, but to use it without purchasing it or at best asking to use it seems pretty stupid to little ole me. The thing that gets me the most is that many, like us stagers in the bunch, are in the business of being creative, so if were in a creative business why do we think we need to steal someone Else's creativity or someone else's original thoughts? Just tells me that there are some out there that are not really creative at all. You would think this would be a clue to them selves that they are in the wrong profession to begin with. To all the thieves out there I say "Please people, set down where it is quiet and you can really think... Surely you can come up with an original thought or at least muster up enough brain power to realize you better ask before just taking what you want.

As always Marti, I just love your posts...

Endre... everytime I share or give stuff away in the Rain I state how and where it can be used and I do it publicly so it's there for all to see. I'm more than happy to help people who need some bling, this "graphic artist" wasn't someone from ActiveRain.

Connor... cool and a smart/safe way to go.

Maureen... I think I missed the point in the your first comment, got it. ;-)

Gary... very well said, especially for anyone who is in the creative biz.

Wow Marti....has a newbie to AR this has been a very informative post for me. It's not something I've thought much about but I sure will be aware now. Good stuff.

Hopefully next weekend you can play away and relax. You deserve it!

Anna Banana, Phoenix,AZ

Marti... that is BOLD of someone to do this to your work.. Oh my.. Hope it all works out soon.

Thanks for all the other links & stories as well as this great information. Several months ago I listened to Lenn and Brad's web show on copyright infringement. Apparently the rest of the world needs to listen to it too.

Anna... next weekend I'm hoping for uninterrupted hockey. ;-)

Roland... go figure, but it's being worked out now.

Linda... totally my pleasure, enjoy the new info.

Thank you for the post. Very interesting.

Marti - What you have said needs to be said over and over because of those who do not listen (or do not care). Thanks for another great blog. The AR community should be believers if they read anything about copyright on AR! I enjoy reading your posts!

Mary

Marti,

Thanks for the information. Glad to have you back!

Good stuff- thanks for an informative post.

I take it as a serious offense too. I created a brochure once and had someone take it VERBATIM and I happened to see it in a seller's house (I was there to show the house and my own brochure with the agent's photo cut/pasted where mine was... was on the counter). Unbelievably stupid.

Marti - another good lesson, and reminder for us all to be careful of what work we are using. Too bad it has to be said, over and over. Sorry you had your weekend ruined.

Jeff

Alice & Jim... you're very welcome.

Bruce & Mary... exactly, it's much better to learn from a post than a lawsuit.

Mike... I'm fine, my previous post was just an April Fool's joke. ;-)

Norman... thx, have a great rest of the day!

Marti - As always another great piece by you. That's why I still asked permission from you last week to which you graciously said yes. thanks for that. Always a good reminder for people that hack other peoples work such as yours.

Erica... ouch, sorry to hear that. Theft of any type of content is never good, we see that with blog posts, brochures, etc... it never ends.

Jeff... all is well, they now have serious fine to pay and I managed to catch the rest of the game on a late night replay. ;-)

Robert... totally my pleasure. I appreciate that you asked and was more than happy to say YES. ;-)

It is very serious. My husband worries about this all the time, his choreography being stolen, manipulated, etc. If it is on video tape, he is safer, but hard to prove if it has been altered. You have a very unique style, there is a thread thru all your works. Funny, we have a friend who is a very talented artist, Russian, he was into circles for a long time in his paintings. There were circles for faces, circles everywhere. I would recognize his artwork anywhere. The same with yours, I have gotten to know your work, and would probably even recognize it, despite being butchered. Although it is said that imitation is the highestform of flattery, I disagree with that. Especially where art is concerned. When I did my new header graphic, I was so worried that I not be influenced by what I was seeing on the web. I had a clear vision of what I wanted, but was actually so damn concerned about making sure it was my own idea I fretted for days. I can't imagine someone just stealing work, no ethics I guess. Or just that arrogant? Oh well, great post anyway. Thank you.

Marti, great thoughts about copyright issues and tremendous writer links as always.

Andrea... either arrogance or ignorance, I guess it all boils down to the same thing.

Gary... hi there, thx for stopping by.

Marti

You would think some would know the outcome, and that it is wrong.

Tom

Sorry you didn't get your relaxing fun filled weekend...maybe give it another try in a few days. Thanks for reminding us all how serious this issue really is

Thanks for the reminder! I really appreciate your sensitivity to the issue as well as your right to protect your artistic efforts.

Along with real estate I'm in music eductaion and often see problems with copyright issues. With the use of sophisticated software programs like Sibelius, Band-in-a-Box and others it is easy to scan the printed music and manipulate any which way and reuse it. It still isn't your music, is it!

Keep up the good fight. I hope that the only punches thrown will be on the ice while you're on the couch:)

Tom... no kidding, this isn't how I like to spend my time but we don't always have a choice.

Tina... it was just an unwelcomed interruption, next weekend should be normal I hope. ;-)

Steve... definitely, and all punches thrown over here are on television. Hockey isn't the same without a good fight now and then. ;-)

Marti-as unique as your work is I can't imagine why someone would think they could get away with stealing it. It doesn't seem to matter how many times someone like yourself or Lenn write about copyright violations the next day you can look through AR and see dozens of photos taken from sources that are clearly copyright protected.

Hi Marti! Great post! Usually the people needing to read this are not!( That's the scary part!). It is happening all the time....... I see free Twitter backgrounds given all the time on Twitter. Hopefully not someone I am following........Thanks for the mention of my post! I am happy to be one of the sharp cookies in The Art of Marketing You group :)

I find myself kinda confused. If the purpose of copyright enforcement is to make sure people understand that it's your property and not to be used without your consent, it would seem that the reaonslble thing to do would be to give at least a first "warning" shot, and give them an opportunity to comply.

If the purpose of the copyright enforcement is to make some extra money, then I understand hitting them with a fine on the first offense.

Cindy... it makes no sense to me either. Hopefully this example will wake up people who think they'll never get caught.

Wendy... you're right. they probably won't read this. Thx for being a sharp cookie, really glad to have you here.

Alan... enforcement with a fine sets a precedent and the courts now look at how often and how forcefully we protect our work. It's not about making extra $$$.

If ever I have to go to court over a copyright violation, I have to show that I take this seriously. Ignorance of the law or 1st time offender isn't an excuse to break it. And from what I saw on this person's blog & Squidoo pages, they're not a 1st time offender.

I am still amazed to see how many people think it is ok to steal ideas, designs, and pictures.

These things are indeed someones property and should not be taken without their approval.

Really good information and something to defintely keep in mind.

marti, what a shame...you are so generous and I'm sure you would have loved your work to be in a contest. But gee what were they thinking? Well, they weren't. Hard lesson to have happen. I do agree there is too many of us in different forums and social networks to not catch it.

Amazing how an Activerainer won the contest and contact you and you saw it. I gues I'm just a little flabergasted right now.

Maybe you can watch the National Championship game tonight and have some R and R.

Thanks for the great information.

I have been reading you since I started blogging in Sept., you never fail to be generous and helpful.

Marti what a bummer - I feel your pain, I have had 5 articles copied and pasted by others on the net.

I hope you have got some phone time with the thief. I just want to know what they said when you confronted them.

Good blog on a worthwhile subject - Marti...

i certainly understand the need to protect your copyright... I guess I would be too lenient, and make a demand for instant compliance and removal from their site... and if they didn't comply within a very short period of time, the penalty would take effect.

Marti - I'm so sorry that someone was so classless and clueless as to do this. Your work is YOUR work. Why would someone think they needed to steal it? Your message is loud and clear, and if anyone can't understand it ... well .... perhaps they deserve to have a real 'slap' back into reality.

Marti, Great post, great info...

Marti, because of you I have a great heading on my outside blog. Knowing how hard it is to put all this great work together, not asking permission to use your work is a problem. Sorry it ruined your weekend.

Hi Marti -- I don't blame you a bit and I would be boiling mad. Artists like you don't grow on trees, and it's even worse when someone steals stuff from someone as talented as you! Only when people pay will they truly get it.

Marti, reminders like these are good - As I get more and more into my photography, I think about this too. I upload to flickr with 'all rights reserved', but wonder if that really keeps someone from swiping my work. Probably not. May have to ask you about your attorney one day!

Debi

That happened to me. ONe of my pictures was used on a local chamber of commerce email flyer. I haven't said anything yet though. It was kind of cool, and it was used as a community thing. HOwever if it was one of my art-photos, I would definitely file for damages.

Mark... I'm equally amazed.

Teral... thx, just trying to be helpful.

Missy... we all know someone who knows someone, even outside the Rain so eventually violators get caught.

Ann... hi and glad to have you as a reader.

Bill... I remember your post from about a month ago and how steamed you were, not fun.

Russ... no phone time, I hit them with a serious invoice. The thief is paying my bill.

Kathy... I'm just hoping this will make more people aware that it's serious to use images without permission. Better to learn from their mistakes than to pay with $$$.

Hi Marti,

I'm sorry you have to go through this, but stay at it. It's your work and you should be paid for it.

Marti, thanks for pointing out the fact that just because it's available for use, that doesn't necessarily mean it can be modified. I know you are doing the right thing in protecting your recognizable artwork.

Alan... I've tried that in the past but BIG invoices & lawyers get better results, people take it more seriously.

Carol... trust me, I slapped them hard, I doubt they'll try it again, at least not with me. ;-)

Jean... my pleasure, it's a lesson we all have to learn on the net.

Kay... glad to hear you're using one of my Rain blog headers. My weekend turned out OK.

Chris... it applies to all of us, blog content, art, graphics, photos, etc... unfortunately some people have to learn the hard way.

Debi... I know what you mean so we have to be clear how our work can be used by others.

Amy... sorry to hear that, I hate to be a hard ass about this stuff but if we don't protect our work, no one will.

Bob... she is definitely paying.

Vickie... absolutely. that's why I got on it as soon as I found out. Nite!

Hi Marti~ I hate that happened to you, but you were smart to act on it quickly. I guess some people just think they aren't going to get caught, or else they just don't care!

I have several creative commons web sites bookmarked, just to be sure I'm safe. But one of them is tricky. I have to be careful no to be led out of the site and end up on a random site that is NOT in the public domain. But there really are a lot of sites that feature copyright free photos. I just have to keep them bookmarked so I don't lose track of them!

Vickie... hi, at this point whether it's intentional or just stupidity, I have to act because it happens too often.

Lisa... sounds confusing, be careful out there. ;-)

APR

Bummer for your weekend! However, if I was going to take a chance on copying I'd copy your work because you do such GOOD work. Just kidding I wouldn't copy someone else's work without permission. Maybe you can take this Easter weekend off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I recently found some of my company's listings photos and CMLS photos on a local blog. I reported the violation and have yet to have a phone call back from CMLS. They must not care so why watermark it?

Wendy... cute, next weekend will be good.;-)

Laura... wow that sucks and another reason we have to defend ourselves.

Marti, I am upset enough when someone steals my articles or blogs but I'd be even angrier if it were my artwork! I'd like to think people just don't know any better but the fact is, they DO -- and do it anyway! You share SO much and such wonderful things, it's horrible that someone would do this.

Thank you for the rest of the highlights--I'm sure to find wome wonderful posts on there.

Marti, I hope you get your graphics back and put this person out of business, because calling him a graphics designer may have been too nice. Maybe graphics hack would have been a better title! Thanks for including me in your weekly wrap up.

Carole... you're right and it never feels good when someone takes our stuff no matter what stuff it is. And most of them do know better, they just don't think they'll get caught.

Todd... thx for the "target" post, loved it. I took care of the "graphic designer". I'm Irish and never shy away from a fight when it's necessary. ;-)

Marti - I cannot believe someone used your graphic for a contest . . . sometimes people take the least line of resistance.

good post. one of my best friends is a pro photographer and he deals with this all the time. only it's often harder to catch people using photos.

Sharon... I didn't believe it either until I saw the mess they made of my work.

John... I can imagine, seems to be a plague among the creative biz, that's why we have to set an example when we do catch someone.

Marti,

Unfortunately there always will be people who will try to ride on someone else's work. Swift action is then called for. Hopefully you still got to watch some hockey, presumably the Canadiens.

Marti - well worth reading, as always.

Regarding copyright - years ago a local agent copied my website in its entirety (including a couple misspellings). How did I find out? One of his unhappy clients called to tell me.

So simple to ask: did you create this content? or where did this content come from?

I love "I need to read this"! How often I've needed that.

Hey Marti. Always good to cover these stories for any one who needs help avoiding trouble! I remember this topic coming up and taking photos myself (any one remember the glad box?) to be safe. Eventually, I found istock photos for use in my blogs. I pay to use them, but they're worth the investment. Of course, free is good, and and I've played with picnik and picassa to add watermarks to my own photos.

Thanks for all you do here for us!

Great reminder. I missed Lenn's post and am now reading it. I never thought of wikipedia being an issue until now.

I know its tough Marti when someone comes along and steals your hard work and dedication on something, its sad to see people still believe its ok to do that. Thanks for the reminder and I have to give you kudos on the AWESOME links you find everyweek, thank you for showing me Chriss Garretts post on how to increase Google Authority, totally rocks!

APR

Thanks Marti, something to keep in mind. We have such beautiful seasons and mountains I always use my own photos. I am also going to subscibe to your blog looks like you have some good information.

marti, I just stopped by to say hi but found you had mentioned my post...thanks so much! Great poiints about copyright infringement. This is so important and your summary list of other posts should cure anyone from thinking about taking someone elses work! I hope you can take THIS weekend off. Happy Easter!

Esko... re hockey, our Mtl Canadians totally sucked lately but are kicking ass again so I'm paying attention. ;-)

Sharon... from what I'm seeing in the comments it looks like it happens to a lot of us, not fun!

Natalie... hi, stock photos are always a great way to go, especially since they can usually be used commercially.

Huiting... as always, Lenn has great insight's on this topic.

Justin... glad you enjoyed Chris Garrett's post, I thought it was a great read as well.

Shelly... hi, welcome to the group and thx for subscrining to my blog.

Diane... totally my pleasure, I love the duck photo you're using this month. Must be the animal lover in me. ;-)

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As a graphic artist who sells real estate, I totally feel your pain! The first time I went on Flickr, I found one of my photos in someone else's gallery with lots of compliments. I agree with your reality points...I would have been happy to let them use the photo if they would have asked! Hang graphically tough, Lisa

Hey Marti: Sorry you had to go through that! Copyright infringement is serious business! Thanks for the warning!

Hope your day is great,

Anne Rains

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Lisa... wow, that sucks, seems to be a lot of that on sites like Flickr. And as you said, all they have to do is ask.

Anne... hi there. all is well. I did what I had to do, hopefully they've learned a lesson from this. Have a great weekend.

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marti... just hopping by to wish you Happy Easter my friend! ;)

Lyne... hi and thx, I hope your Easter was good as well.

JUN

yikes....

you make some good points that are so valid.

thanks for the learning experience in what NOT to do..

Sheila... unfortunately it happens all the time, better to be smart than sorry.

Hi Marti, So many opinions circulating out there and so many mis-guided agents who offer advice based on others comments !

Bill... there is some confusion in this area but blatantly using someone else's photos, graphics, blog content or business name is just asking for trouble but... some people like to learn things the hard way.

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