Need help ASAP with stolen images

[aaronpass]

I recently did a photoshoot with a client. I gave him a 7 day flash gallery to view on my website so he could decide what prints he wanted of which photos. I chose the flash gallery specifically so he couldn't right click an image and save it. I went to his personal website today and went to his gallery and there was an album with all of my images in low-res jpeg form. I think he took a screen shot of my gallery and saved them to his website. What do I do?

Aaron

[cosworth]

You tell him to remove them or you are calling a copyright lawyer.

Theft is theft.

http://attorneypages.com/lawyer-copyright_trademark-WA-Seattle.htm

[sfaust]

Ditto cosworth. You can also go to his ISP provider if he refuses to remove them (see the Digital Millennium Copyright Act) and put some pressure on him that way.

Goes to show flash doesn't solve anything. The only way to protect your images is either don't put them on-line, or watermark them so its more difficult and time consuming to use them.

I would call him, let him know they were proofs and not to be used as is, and he can purchase the images if he desires to use them. If that goes well, you're all set. If not, the above will help you resolve it.

[Curtis N]

Is he buying prints or not?
I'm not disagreeing with Cosworth and Stephen, but if there's still a potential sale here, approach it with caution. If you go in playing hardball, you can kiss any print sales goodbye and he'll badmouth you every chance he gets.

I would give him a reasonable amount of time to order the prints he wants, mention that you can provide low-rez files for web use for a minor additional cost, and not even mention that you've seen his website.

If he decides not to order anything, then put the hammer down.

[mjordan]

And before you start talking about copyright infringement... get those images registered. You have a lot more power behind you if they are registered or in the process of being registered. Registration becomes effective the day the Copyright Office receives the form and CD of images. So send it with delivery comfirmation and the day after they receive it, if it looks like you aren't going to get paid and he won't take them down, you have a whole lot more power behind telling him that he is infringing on your copyright. Other wise you can get his web site taken down using the DMCA law, but he can still use your images and you probably won't be able to afford to stop him.

Mike

[tcphoto1]

You can drop him a note and see if he has made his choices on the images. I would be polite but bring it to his attention that you saw his website with your images posted. Ask him how he obtained the images to make a point. If it was not in your original estimate, I would revise it asap and register the images immediately.

[morlia]

It totally sucks that it happened...BUT he is your client. ie a paying customer. sometimes clients do things without thinking. I would:
1.ask him he is ready to purchase
2. appeal to him and let him know that when he shows low res proofs, it's bad business for you as they lack quality
3. then if all else fails, let him know that because he hasn't purchased that you have filed away the images for copyright, and you wouldn't want him to get into trouble...yada yada yada.

I strongly suggest that you find a photoshop action for watermarking or watermark them yourself so that this doesn't happen again.