Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion My picture was copied and is now for sale on eBay

When i sold diecast toys on ebay I would take a picture etc and someone hi-jacked my image to use on their auctions. That is why I started to edit the photo and type my name on the photo in clear letters. It still worked to show the item for ebay, but if anyone took it and used it it would have my name in big bold letters across it. Hard for them to use.

maybe in Canada they have better laws than we do about copying and selling cause the auction has been closed. sure can't seem to get ebay to move repo pedal cars out of antiques toys....

One can only hope that he is shut down, but I doubt it. I believe that the seller received enough questions about Wes' photos that he just shutdown this auction for a period of time. I have a feeling these photos will be up for auction, soon.

The only way you can stop that is to put your watermark/logo on the pictures before you post them online like Shorpy does. He gets alot of his pictures from the Libray Of Congress website. In fact there is a picture of a Hi-Speed gas station that was in Marysville, Ohio on Ebay. That picture was download from the Libray of Congress website. I emailed the the guy and he admitted it.

You can do it pretty easy. Just put the watermark/logo on a piece of clear plastic and when you scan your picture just put it beween the picture and glass of the scanner.

Randy

Wes, I just checked to see the item at3;05 PM and the item was "no longer listed" if you called him on, he may have gotten the message. Most everything on this site is here to enjoy, but someone selling your things is, not what we are about.Norm.

The below listed ebay # is a group the includes Wes's pictures.

260536482421

Dave

Here is the response I got from item #260541632805.

"its been removed


- 2sumtreasures"

Doc can confirm [Photo Shop user] that if someone wants a picture that has been Watermarked, it's not that hard to restore/remove watermark from picture. Just takes time.

A slightly Out of Focus pic is a better determent to having something copied than a watermark. IMO

I contacted this guy and this is the response I got:
"stop harassing me i bought these at a auction not on the Internet"
Now that the listing has been ended I think either eBay closed it or he was tired of all the harassment from oldgas members. Either way it worked! back to the Bat Cave Robin.

Shucking the Buck, "I bought them @ auction", Maybe/Maybe NOT. Only the seller knows if that's a LIE.

The photographer and the family of the photogrpaher owns the rights to the photos. I have to look it up, but there is a way to get money from him for using them. I will get back to you in a few.

Mike

I asked my photographer friend and this is what he said, "In the US, if you have not registered your copyright, you will never get into a courtroom with your infringement claim, regardless what you have in your possession. The court won't even hear it.

If you have registered your copyright, that's all you need."

Just received this reply from Ebay Canada;

Dear Bob,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to this listing.

We aren't able to remove this listing at this time, but you may be able
to help with this.

You can contact the owner of the photo and encourage him to join our
Verified Rights Owners' (VeRO) program. This will enable him to request
the removal of listings that infringe on his rights as a photographer.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Sincerely,
Konstantin

eBay Customer Support

Wes, I hope you will take them up on this offer, to ensure this seller doesn't sell anymore of your photos. I see he never pulled his other photos of yours.

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, Wes. Good to hear it was pulled. If the seller really did buy it/them at an auction, some credit should go to him for pulling it. Not many do when notified. If he did copy it from the internet/oldgas, then shame on him.

Wes--Here is what I received from Ebay Canada:
Dear Kevin,

Thank you for writing eBay in regard to Image and Text Theft.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with this information. I
understand how this situation could be of some concern.

I have reviewed the information that you provided regarding the use of
images or text, but at this point find that I do not have enough
evidence to show that the member has violated any eBay rules.

Regrettably, we will only be able to take action if the owner of the
images or text writes to us. In some instances, sellers may have
obtained permission to use the material. Therefore, we often cannot
remove listings based on the representations of third parties whose
credentials we cannot verify.

We do understand the potential for further issues in this type of
situation. That is why, if you feel strongly about this issue, we
recommend that you contact the owner of the images or text, and
recommend that they contact us directly. Once we hear from them, we will
take appropriate action.

We appreciate you taking the time to contact us with your concerns.
Thank you participating in the eBay community.

It is my pleasure to assist you. Thank you for choosing eBay.

Sincerely,
Jackie L.

eBay Customer Support