Using your photos

poppy10_2

porto_bello wrote: »

Presumably you would be equally happy if someone helped themselves to your paypal funds, after your listing had ended?

It doesn't cost me anything if someone uses my photos after my listing has ended.

soolin

poppy10 wrote: »

It doesn't cost me anything if someone uses my photos after my listing has ended.

Don't count on it. We've had threads on here outing people as a shill bidder as two sellers with the same photo sell the same thing in a short space of time.

Byatt

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Someone used my photo from a current listing and used a shorter listing time, which then looked like I had used their photo!. My bidder cancelled their bid and bid on the other item!!. Report them.

That's happened to me; plus they used most of my description! But of course it looked as though I had copied theirs. I was so :mad:

loracan1

MackemPunk wrote: »

If your photo is hosted on photobucket or imageshack, I'd be tempted to replace it with a message telling everyone its your image

I'd be tempted to spend a bit of time replacing it with a message saying far more:D

esuhl

porto_bello wrote: »

Presumably you would be equally happy if someone helped themselves to your paypal funds, after your listing had ended?

Just think about it... If someone infringes your intellectual property rights, they have not deprived you of anything tangible. You still have the original photo file even if someone else uses it.

That is clearly quite different to tangible assets, such as credit in your bank or PayPal accounts. If someone raids those, you are deprived of whatever it is that they have taken, otherwise... why on earth would you mind?!

In reply to the OP, yes I would at least consider reporting a user if they were using my intellectual property without permission.

George_Michael

Just think about it... If someone infringes your intellectual property rights, they have not deprived you of anything tangible. You still have the original photo file even if someone else uses it.

Surely exactly the same logic could be used by people who illegally download music or films from the internet for personal use.
After all, they are not depriving the copyright owners of anything tangible either.

Using someone elses photograph is copyright infringment and is technically no different to film or music piracy.

kevinyork

MackemPunk wrote: »

If your photo is hosted on photobucket or imageshack, I'd be tempted to replace it with a message telling everyone its your image

Yes I have done this. I replaced the photo with a jpg of text saying "I have stolen this photo from another listing". The seller didnt notice and the listing ended without bids. Job done.

soolin

kevinyork wrote: »

Yes I have done this. I replaced the photo with a jpg of text saying "I have stolen this photo from another listing". The seller didnt notice and the listing ended without bids. Job done.

There have been some very good ones. I tend to dislike the ones with rude pictures as a replacement, but I do like the ones, like yours, where a statement suggesting seller is a thief or a crook is used as a replacement to the original photo.

porto_bello

The law is pretty clear - theft is theft, whatever the nature of the stolen item. It covers everything from paypal funds to picture files (which was the essential point of my previous post) and everything else in-between.

Ebay’s policy is pretty clear too: image theft isn’t tolerated and (for once) they’re pretty sharp about enforcing it.

There are no grey areas for debate – I really can’t see any mileage in arguing otherwise. If you’re getting away with it, you’ve been lucky... so far!

poppy10_2

porto_bello wrote: »

The law is pretty clear - theft is theft, whatever the nature of the stolen item. It covers everything from paypal funds to picture files

Ummm... no, it isn't. That's why noone has ever been convicted of theft for using someone else's picture files. Nobody has ever been convicted of theft even for downloading copyrighted intellectual property such as music or video files - it's a civil matter, not a criminal one.