![\"black-billed-magpie-4567\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/black-billed-magpie-4567.jpg\" "\\"black-billed-magpie-4567")
<\/p>\nImage theft, copyright infringement and other forms of unethical image use piss me off no matter who is victimized. This time it was me.<\/p>\n
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On March 3, 2012 I included this image in a blog post about a wonderful day of bird photography I had on Antelope Island. That post of course is still online and can be seen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yesterday I received an email from someone who had been googling magpies online which brought her to Feathered Photography where she looked at some of my magpie images and noticed my copyright watermarks (both of them apparently, the older version with my initials and the newer one that included my name). Then during her search process she stumbled across the website of Earthfire Institute and noticed that they were using one of my magpie images and attributing the photograph to one Christopher Martin even though the photo had my copyright logo on it!<\/em><\/p>\n So “JD” notified me for which I am grateful. Here’s the link to the Earthfire Institute page that uses my photo and attributes it to another photographer<\/a>. You can imagine my reaction when I opened it.<\/p>\n Folks often use my images online for various purposes. Sometimes they remove my copyright and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they give me photo credit in the image caption and sometimes they don’t. But doing either one is both unethical and illegal when they don’t get prior permission.<\/p>\n When I see it happen I typically send them a DMCA takedown notice<\/a> and if they comply immediately I leave it at that (unless it’s being done for commercial purposes – when that happens I sometimes contact my IP attorney and let him handle it).<\/p>\n But this case is different. Seeing some other photographer given credit for my image got my dander up so I decided to go public with it. I needed the catharsis.<\/p>\n It could be an extremely sloppy error on the part of Earthfire Institute or deliberate theft by either EI or Christopher Martin. I don’t remember ever giving permission to EI to use that image but if I had I’d have insisted on proper credit. That photo sure as hell doesn’t belong to Christopher Martin.<\/p>\n Early next week I’ll send them a DMCA takedown notice and take it from there. At this point I don’t know for sure who is culpable, Christopher Martin or Earthfire Institute. Or both.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Notes:<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Image theft, copyright infringement and other forms of unethical image use piss me off no matter who is victimized. This time it was me.<\/p>\n\n