Railfan Technology > A question on internet posting of photos....

Looking for advice here:  I recently posted a photo (labelled "my photo") on another site. Someone took it, altered it with a program like photo shop, and sent it elsewhere. All without asking me permission.

Here's what he said when I asked:

".you took the photo,and whenever you posted it,it became open to the group,so i decided to clean it up..and it's free use because i turned it into something new,if you didn't realize that already."

Is that true? 

B&OBill



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/23 04:48 by bandob.

bandob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looking for advice here:  I recently posted a
> photo (labelled "my photo") on another site.
> Someone took it, altered it with a program like
> photo shop, and sent it elsewhere. All without
> asking me permission.
>
> Here's what he said when I asked:
>
> ".you took the photo,and whenever you posted it,it
> became open to the group,so i decided to clean it
> up..and it's free use because i turned it into
> something new,if you didn't realize that
> already."
>
> Is that true? 
>
> B&OBill

If you did not assert copyright I think you are stuck...but not for the reason the goofball thinks....changing the image is not like patent law...where if you improve a thing you get a patent on the improvement...but where copyright is concerned the onus is on you to assert copyrights in the first place. LIkewise there are licenses you can bind your image to that allows people to use it freely but always mention you as the creator. (Various froms of Creative Commons license) But if you don't want images taken  and reused put a copyright notice on the image itself. That's all it takes. And if someone STILL takes it...and erases the copyright notice; that is genuine theft...the original is still in your hands. 

Thanks for your reply. I don't feel "stuck," but was just trying to learn. Your answer is very helpful. I realize we are all open here, and over time we decide what groups we want to post in. After this guy called me a body part used in elimination, I just blocked him. 

B&OBill

The copyright "automatically" attaches to a photo without any formal statement of ownership by the photographer.  Posting a photo does not in and of itself limit, modify or extinguish the copyright.   Nor does modification of the photo by the photographer or a third party.

Here is a pretty comprehensive discussion of the law on the subject:

https://www.ppa.com/articles/copyright-law-your-rights-as-a-photographer

Good rule of thumb:  Be considerate;  Always ask for permission to copy or disseminate.  Disclose the name of the photographer in any re-posting.

Greg Stadter
Phoenix, AZ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/23 20:30 by E25.

Thanks Greg. Outstanding reference!

B&OBill

My Canon DSLR came with an "EOS Utility" that lets you enter a copyright notice that gets inserted into the Properties>Details of the image files. You only have te set it up once. This is not image editing software, rather a standalone setup/firmware update utility.

Slightly different circumstance, and this was a video, but here's what happened when a commercial entity ripped off my content from TO back in 2010. Some of the posts regarding copyright may be helpful.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2100241

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,2158734



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/23 07:37 by trainjunkie.

Thank you, trainjunkie!  I missed that thread first time around.

B&OBill

bandob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ".you took the photo,and whenever you posted it,it
> became open to the group,so i decided to clean it
> up..and it's free use because i turned it into
> something new,if you didn't realize that
> already."

He's full of shit.  Its theft of intellectual property, plain and simple.