photos used without my permission

[LittleRock]

I took some photos several years ago, more like 7yrs ago. I was activated to active duty for 9/11. When I returned home, my job had created recruiting posters using a couple of my photos. How they got them is beyond me. I wasn't serious about photography then. I thought it was cool, to be honest. I never really thought anything about it until recently. Now that I'm addicted to photography, I'm kinda "red-faced" that my photos were used without my permission. I no longer work for that agency, but I believe there are posters still circulating with my images around town. Should I confront my old job or let things be?

[wardie]

7 years ago, let it ride I'd say

[Jeff]

Yea, live and learn. But use their finished product in any portfolio you might have. Have them make you a big copy just so they know you're letting them get away with it...this time.

Stay safe!

[Dooms_day]

lol what camera did you have back then? 7 years is a lot on the canon timeline

[LittleRock]

lol what camera did you have back then? 7 years is a lot on the canon timeline

I was using an Elan 7E 35mm. I still have that camera! Hardly use it anymore.

[stathunter]

Hunt them down and kill them. :) ---- just kidding.......relax and learn from the incident by not positing your work in places that it can be "borrowed".

[Coco44]

well if you work for a newspaper or something they own your images they don't need your permission to print them So if you worked for them they really own the image that's why it's better to work for yourself.what was it a picture of anyway?

[asysin2leads]

]I was activated to active duty for 9/11.[/B]

Hunt them down and kill them. :)

Unless you were activated w/ the Air Force. Then you can throw your stapler at them.

[amfoto1]

Yeah, seven years ago? It's probably way past the time frame you could possibly do anything even if you wanted to.

Besides, we'd need to know more about your "job" and in what way you were "activated" after 9/11. Since you reference recruiting, I think we're assuming it was military of some sort, but maybe we shouldn't be.

If, for example, taking photos were part of your duties, your employer would likely own the copyright, not you. I don't know how this applies to military or firefighters or other types of service, best read the fine print and see.

How did they get the images?

Well, for example, someone I know walked into a Seattle restaurant and was stunned to see a photo they'd taken framed and hanging on the wall. Eventually, backtracking through the restaurant management, they found that the person handling the processing at the local lab where they'd dropped of their film had thought it a great photo, made a copy for himself and was busy selling it any and every way he could think of to make a few extra bucks! Well, that lab employee lost his job and the restaurant had to pay them several hundred dollars to keep displaying the image.