Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright Abuse on the Net.
I was reading Jeff Revell’s Blog yesterday “Google Image Search Helps Me Track Down Abuse” and decided to try it out on one of my images. Surfer Girl is one of the most viewed images I have on my sister’s ShepArt Studio SmugMug site. I found four instances of the image in locations that I didn’t know about or authorize. Two were in a Maui Surf Report blog where someone was trying to help me identify the surfer so I could send her a print. Unfortunately, there is no copyright notice or identification of me as the photographer on the image that they posted. The image then showed up in a “Quit-Your_DayJob-16-pics” blog at UberGnome.com. I reported this to the webmaster at the site, and he removed the image within 10 minutes. The fourth location was on the home page for Home Management Services in Maui. I have not received response yet to have the image removed. Alternatively, I will be sending them an invoice or a free rental in Maui.
