# Photo stealing in classified ads



## haygrl59 (May 19, 2014)

This is probably a petty topic but I'm just curious if anyone else has had people steal photos from their posted classified ads.

A couple months ago, a photo from one of my Craigslist ads was stolen and used with an ad for hay from a producer in IA. Today, I just found another photo that was stolen from one of our videos on YouTube. That ad was on a regional 'hay for sale' page on Facebook. I thought the picture looked a bit grainy and also that it looked like the inside of our barn and our hay and equipment. Sure enough, it was. This was supposedly big squares for sale from someone in MN. The funny thing is that the hay pictured isn't big squares but actually small squares in 21 bale bundles. Its rather annoying and I know I could watermark everything but that is time-consuming. The boss says not to worry about it. I contacted the person selling hay in IA about using our photo and they replied rather indignantly that they doubted there was a copyright on the photo and that they were sold out of hay for the year but that they planned on using the same photo next season! I spend a lot of time marketing the hay for the company and taking photos. Its frustrating to have people take the easy route and steal photos to try and market their hay. I guess its all on the buyer, especially when they come to that producer's barn and find that it doesn't look anything like what is portrayed in the photos. I guess I'm old-school and try to be as honest and ethical as I can when I deal with my buyers. I try to take lots of photos throughout the season and refresh my ads and the website periodically with them. I imagine this is a common problem and the old adage, "Buyer Beware" applies even in the hay business.

Okay, I'm done. End of rant.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

That is very annoying and I feel unethical. They are lazy and dishonest because your hay must look better then their stuff because how hard is it anymore to take pics. I had one of my alfalfa pics used by a broker that bought the hay from me to resell in Texas. That annoyed me. I also currently have the big 4 Rivers John Deere dealer using one of my pictures from a baler that I traded to them. They swiped it off of an ad I had been using to try and sell it on my own. That really annoys me.

I don't know how you take pics, but if using a phone there are camera apps that put a water mark automatically. The key is remembering to use that app. Which I forget to do a lot.


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## haygrl59 (May 19, 2014)

Teslan said:


> That is very annoying and I feel unethical. They are lazy and dishonest because your hay must look better then their stuff because how hard is it anymore to take pics. I had one of my alfalfa pics used by a broker that bought the hay from me to resell in Texas. That annoyed me. I also currently have the big 4 Rivers John Deere dealer using one of my pictures from a baler that I traded to them. They swiped it off of an ad I had been using to try and sell it on my own. That really annoys me.
> 
> I don't know how you take pics, but if using a phone there are camera apps that put a water mark automatically. The key is remembering to use that app. Which I forget to do a lot.


Teslan,

Thanks for the tip for that watermark app. I do take most of the pictures with my phone. I have been downloading the photos and then using photoshop to add the watermark. It just takes extra time that I really don't have since I also help in the day-to-day stuff with the hay operation as well as market our product. I'm going to see if I can find a good app. It might deter some of those lazy folks from stealing photos. I guess I'm not the only one that gets treated unethically. It seems more and more folks don't really care about it either. Kind of sad, actually, when you think how far gone our society has become.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I use Procam for my iPhone. You can put a copyright line on the photo. It could be easily cropped of though.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

I think I'd be flattered that someone thought my photo's were good enough to use..

I've explored patents (Have 2) but like my attorney told me... a patent is only as good as the paper it's written on. I did it for personal satisfaction. With pictures, I imagine plagerism is rampant in the cyber world.

I wouldn't get worked up about it.......


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

ARD Farm said:


> I think I'd be flattered that someone thought my photo's were good enough to use..
> 
> I've explored patents (Have 2) but like my attorney told me... a patent is only as good as the paper it's written on. I did it for personal satisfaction. With pictures, I imagine plagerism is rampant in the cyber world.
> 
> I wouldn't get worked up about it.......


It is rampant in the photo world. A friend of mine who is a photographer talks about it all the time.


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## haygrl59 (May 19, 2014)

ARD Farm said:


> I think I'd be flattered that someone thought my photo's were good enough to use..


ARD,

I'm more annoyed than anything but you have a point there. Apparently, I'm a better photographer than I think and/or our hay is pretty good looking!


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Use a photo editing program and place a watermark on the hay photo right across the hay itself.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I may be behind with the times but what does the watermark do?


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

The water mark makes them have to trim it off or your name shows up in the photo. I think likely if you look at the terms for Craigslist / Kijiji, they probably have the rights to your photo as soon as you upload it. I know thats different than on your own website but ownership issues are a little more funky in digital times.

I remember taking pictures of crowds if anyone was readily identifiable we had to get a release to use their picture, but now I've seen folks say as long as they are in public space that isn't the case as they don't have an expectation of privacy?

Need a lawyer I guess!


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I just don't know how people can use photos of hay that doesn't look like the hay they are actually selling? I suppose that when people show up and find the hay is different then the picture they just outright lie to the people. Or just hope people don't want to go home empty and will buy anyways and don't care if they are mad or care about their reputation. I had a guy come last week and after he looked at my hay he told me he was nervous about what he would find. If it was truly as good as the pictures and what I said it was. He said too many times he drove 100 miles on the promise of good hay and it was terrible hay. Even if the price wasn't low. I always tell people that I think it is good hay, but they need to come and judge for themselves. Maybe I'm being too honest and lose sales because I don't tell people exactly what they want to hear?

On another point. There is a hay seller here that sells hay that I think is above market price. All the time above market price. And the only picture they use is a pretty girl standing by a fresh cut windrow. They've used the same picture for 3 years now. Maybe I'm just advertising wrong with new pictures all the time? I just need a picture of a pretty girl standing by a bale? At least they aren't lying about their hay with pictures. Though the girl might not be so pretty in real life.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> The water mark makes them have to trim it off or your name shows up in the photo. I think likely if you look at the terms for Craigslist / Kijiji, they probably have the rights to your photo as soon as you upload it. I know thats different than on your own website but ownership issues are a little more funky in digital times.
> 
> I remember taking pictures of crowds if anyone was readily identifiable we had to get a release to use their picture, but now I've seen folks say as long as they are in public space that isn't the case as they don't have an expectation of privacy?
> 
> Need a lawyer I guess!


Craigslist can have the rights if they want. They don't use it for false advertising. Others do.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

ARD Farm said:


> I've explored patents (Have 2) but like my attorney told me... a patent is only as good as the paper it's written on. I did it for personal satisfaction. With pictures, I imagine plagerism is rampant in the cyber world.


Patents, copyrights and contracts are only as good as the money you have to back them up. Patents went downhill during the Clinton administration when he secretly negotiated a trade agreement with China that resulted in changing the patent application process.

Prior to Clinton, a patent application was kept secret until it was approved/disapproved, usually a two year process. Clinton had the law changed so that patent applications where immediately released to the public. The Chinese and Japanese had swarms of workers sitting at the PTO scarfing up applications and shipping them overseas. (Ask me how I know about this!)

Several times, I had to spend a fortune in legal fees to protect my product--one time $250,000! (That's a fair piece of change for a small business). But I prevailed because I was willing to go for broke.

After I sold that copyrighted software to a British company, they were sued for patent infringement by a very aggressive individual even though my product predated theirs by more that 15 years! The British company lost! Because they didn't have the cahoonas to fight!

The best protection for anything nowadays is a copyrighted patent, a big mouth, an (un)fair lawyer, deep pockets and the willingness to go for broke!

Ralph


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