Chinese Website Stealing NPN Photographer's Images
Discussion
8 replies
Posted by Zack Clothier on September 10, 2013 at 12:16 PM
While browsing the internet today I can across a site called "National Photography" and noticed several images from folks here on NPN being used on the website, with the watermarks removed. They are using one of my images as well and I am certain they removed my watermark (this is a new image of mine and it's only been "published" online with a watermark). I have emailed them insisting they take down the image, I would suggest the other photographers whose images have been stolen to do the same. This is their email address: np@zgjrw.com
Here is the link to my image that was stolen, as well as several other photographers here on NPN:
http://unpcn.com/tuji/show.aspx?id=160
Posted by Eva McDermott on September 10, 2013 at 2:34 PM
Thanks Zack - I immediately saw one of mine as well. Thanks for the heads up.
Edit: What is strange is the TinEye did not find this and I have only posted this on NPN and not even my own website (at least this version). Strange. Can some one on NPN translate the Chinese script?
Posted by Bill Chambers on September 10, 2013 at 3:08 PM
Interesting - EVERY ONE of the images I saw were NPN shooters, but they did give credit to the photographer under the image and even said they were copyrighted (obviously didn't stop them from stealing them, though).
I tried leaving a message asking them to delete the images but was unable to do so.
Eva, although your watermark is missing your name is mentioned in the caption shown at the lower left hand corner on your image there. The rest of the info is in Chinese so not sure what is being stated beyond your name there......
Posted by Zack Clothier on September 10, 2013 at 5:20 PM
Bill, I included their email address above.
Posted by Yiming Hu on September 10, 2013 at 11:58 PM
Never heard of this website before so I took a quick look, and found one of mine images there in some "Man and Nature" collection, with watermark removed, of course
I can read Chinese. They do list photographers' name next to these images. The Chinese text simply describes theses images, and says "Copyrighted material, do not reproduce“
Posted by Marc Ward on September 11, 2013 at 1:46 PM
Yea... I found one of mine there also.
I have a different take on this. I knew my way around a computer long before I started putting my images online. I also knew that my images would be taken and would appear in places around the world. It's just too easy to copy and paste. If someone takes my image and shows it to a different audience and credits me,... that's free advertising and I take it as a compliment. It may not be all right with copyright laws, but I don't have a problem with the spirit of the action (sharing images that are deemed to be outstanding or unique). Someone taking my image, calling it their own, and/or using it commercially is a different ball of wax and I would pursue some form of settlement.
In this case, I don't consider my image stolen... I think someone was impressed enough to share my image with others. Hey, maybe I could pick up a Chinese gallery from this
Posted by Zack Clothier on September 11, 2013 at 10:24 PM
What I find disturbing is they have removed the watermarks from the images, and that does not fly with me.
Zack, that is a key point about the watermarks. I like many here at NPN have had photos lifted at one time or another. Sadly it's a part of mounting our images on any website. In most cases the ones I've had lifted remained intact and showed the watermark as well as giving full credit in any captions that were listed. Like Marc mentions above I also see it as free advertising.
However, I found a lady several years ago that mounted a few of my images on her site and was selling them as her own gift cards. That's just flat stealing.
Discussion
8 repliesHere is the link to my image that was stolen, as well as several other photographers here on NPN:
http://unpcn.com/tuji/show.aspx?id=160
Edit: What is strange is the TinEye did not find this and I have only posted this on NPN and not even my own website (at least this version). Strange. Can some one on NPN translate the Chinese script?
I tried leaving a message asking them to delete the images but was unable to do so.
I can read Chinese. They do list photographers' name next to these images. The Chinese text simply describes theses images, and says "Copyrighted material, do not reproduce“
I have a different take on this. I knew my way around a computer long before I started putting my images online. I also knew that my images would be taken and would appear in places around the world. It's just too easy to copy and paste. If someone takes my image and shows it to a different audience and credits me,... that's free advertising and I take it as a compliment. It may not be all right with copyright laws, but I don't have a problem with the spirit of the action (sharing images that are deemed to be outstanding or unique). Someone taking my image, calling it their own, and/or using it commercially is a different ball of wax and I would pursue some form of settlement.
In this case, I don't consider my image stolen... I think someone was impressed enough to share my image with others. Hey, maybe I could pick up a Chinese gallery from this
However, I found a lady several years ago that mounted a few of my images on her site and was selling them as her own gift cards. That's just flat stealing.