15 replies to this topic

[cor]

Once a month or so I check my referrer logs to see anything weird. Just found a picture of mine linked from a tropical diseases medical centre in their solomon islands vaccination section. Im soo tempted to replace the image with something less appriopriate. They're asking for it! If you're gonna steal an image, have the courtesy to properly steal it right?

[Johnny Christensen]

Once a month or so I check my referrer logs to see anything weird. Just found a picture of mine linked from a tropical diseases medical centre in their solomon islands vaccination section. Im soo tempted to replace the image with something less appriopriate. They're asking for it! If you're gonna steal an image, have the courtesy to properly steal it right?

Replacing it with a text saying, "I'm cheap - so I steal other peoples photos" might be a proper response.

[Scubamoose]

Replacing it with a text saying, "I'm cheap - so I steal other peoples photos" might be a proper response.

Good one!!!
But seriously Cor, You should defenetly give them a little lesson!!!

[Maarten_NL]

Are they hotlinking in their website???

That must be a very cheap webmaster then, he deserves a lesson!

[TheRealDrew]

Once a month or so I check my referrer logs to see anything weird. Just found a picture of mine linked from a tropical diseases medical centre in their solomon islands vaccination section. Im soo tempted to replace the image with something less appriopriate. They're asking for it! If you're gonna steal an image, have the courtesy to properly steal it right?

Having had images stoeln, I am not sure if the courtesy makes it that much better Actually had some stolen in 1997, first time it happened. PO'd me right off and they claimed it was theirs. Remarkable coincidence since it was a composite of shots taken during a trip I took. I guess they came up with the same composite of the same places I visited. The remarkable coincidence continued since people who looked exactly like my friends/family were in the image

[kmahler]

Replace it with porn. They will stop using your photos.

[mandarinfish]

I had a photo being used (hotlinked) for a background on someone's page on Myspace. I used mod_rewrite on my site to substitute (with permission) a spongmonkeys image for the one the perpetrator was originally using, for only that referrer. That way it wouldn't affect any else's view of the photo in my galleries.

If you aren't familiar with spongmonkeys, take a look at this video.

Not porn, but I found it amusing..

[Poliwog]

Replace it with porn. They will stop using your photos.

I know the post was made in jest and it did sound good at first, but it's not the right answer.

Unless you shoot the porn yourself, then you would just be compounding the situation by using someone else's photograph without permission (even if it was porn) to replace your photograph which was used without your permission.

Doesn't seem very ethical in my mind, and would certainly make it harder for you to be taken seriously when pleading copyright infringement.

[KimInNB]

If you aren't familiar with spongmonkeys, take a look at this video.

Not porn, but I found it amusing..

Quiznos in Canada does not use the Sponge Monkeys but now, thanks to mandarinfish, I'm obsessed with them. Hover Bacon ROCKS!!!

Thanks for the laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scubamarli]

If you aren't familiar with spongmonkeys, take a look at this video.

It definitely gave me a break from searching for latin names for obscure Lembeh crabs. I almost peed myself laughing.

Cheers,
Marli

[scubamarli]

Happy to make members have a laugh, as I certainly get some, whether intended or not, from others. Still looking for Lembeh crab names, by the way....nine months later.......

Cheers,
Marli
aka Spongmonkey fan, "cause they're CANADIAN, and cool. "

Edited by scubamarli, 06 May 2009 - 06:25 PM.

[batray]

It is possible to configure the server with a .htaccess file so only authorized web sites can display your work. That way you don't have your bandwidth stolen as well.
I for example enable photos to be displayed from my web server on this site and a few other forums.

[tdpriest]

Duhh...

Sort of caveat emptor, I guess...

If your image is capable of being linked, then that's tantamount to giving tacit permission for it to be used, isn't it?

In my other life, if you let me stick a needle into your arm, then you have given consent, even tho' it's not in writing...

Tim

[cor]

If your browser can see it, you can link it (give or take a few complex setups). So what you're saying is if you put your image on the web somewhere it's fair game for everyone to use it as they see fit?

[Nick Hope]

It is possible to configure the server with a .htaccess file so only authorized web sites can display your work. That way you don't have your bandwidth stolen as well.
I for example enable photos to be displayed from my web server on this site and a few other forums.

If your server is running Apache, put something like this in your .htaccess file:

Options +FollowSymlinks +SymlinksIfOwnerMatch
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} .
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?bubblevision\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?wetpixel\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?bing\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(www\.)?google\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://images\.google\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://video\.google\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://.*\.search\.yahoo\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://web\.ask\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://search\.lycos\.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/images/hotlink\.gif$
RewriteRule \.(jpe?g|gif|png|ico|css|js|swf|mp4|wmv|mpg|avi|flv|php)$ /images/hotlink.gif [L]

This allows the sites in that list to hotlink your files, but other sites will see your hotlink.gif file instead. In my case that looks like this:



The last line in the code lists the types of file that you want to prevent hotlinking for.

I can't remember what the first line does but it doesn't seem to do any harm.

There is a good apache forum on webmasterworld.com if you run into trouble with this stuff.

[decosnapper]

If your image is capable of being linked, then that's tantamount to giving tacit permission for it to be used, isn't it?
In my other life, if you let me stick a needle into your arm, then you have given consent, even tho' it's not in writing...

No. Using an image requires permission. Just cos its easier to steal than seek permission does not absolve the thief from their responsibilities.

Before the needle goes in my arm, you would have asked and verbal "yes - hurt me" would be sufficient for you to stick it in. I am assuming I'm conscious and its not a matter of life and death......

This is copyright infringement. I would contact the infringer. Firstly to recover damages and secondly to license the ongoing use.