Holy #@$^%@$%^@!!! Someone stole my photos!!!

So I posted some photos I took at a recent car event in this forum:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=144906

Next thing I know, Walkien notifies me that my photos are on this site:
http://www.worth1000.c​om/emailthis.asp?entry​=267252

My photos were chopped into one picture for a contest. This is outrageous!!! I've posted them in this forum and two of my car forums so I'm not sure where the culprit saw them. This is pretty sad. I also read about CharlesU's photos being stolen as well. Anyway, I already contacted the worth1000 site. We'll see how it goes. I have stopped making my photobucket account public for now.

I like the post processing, though. Very cute.

Where did you take them? Is that Irwindale? I got some similar Flat Track at Industry Hills. If that is Irwindale, I would love to go.

Rad

Yeah, it was at Irwindale last weekend.

That sucks man...
We are seeing more of this..

Sorry to hear that dude. Those are really nice pictures that you have taken. Geeezzzz..... that sucks.

Keep us posted on what you find...

Jon.

Here's an email I received from worth1000.com:

Thanks for letting me know. I'll take this down immediately and forward this to
the appropriate staff member for followup.

Best,
Avi

-----Original message-----
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 17:51:12 -0500
To: avi@worth1000.com
Subject: RE: Worth1000 Message: Image stealing

> The original images are located in my photobucket account:
> http://i19.photobucket​.com/albums/b153/Sonic​Yan/Recycle%20Bin/IMG_​2719.jpg
> http://i19.photobucket​.com/albums/b153/Sonic​Yan/Recycle%20Bin/IMG_​2314.jpg
> http://i19.photobucket​.com/albums/b153/Sonic​Yan/Recycle%20Bin/IMG_​2706.jpg
>
> I set my photobucket account to private after this incident. I have the
> original, larger version of the three pictures above, since the pictures
> above are only 800x600. Please let me know if you also need the original
> files as well and I will email them to you since they are in my computer.
>
> I posted my pictures in a photography forum (photography-on-the.net/forum)
> and two other car sites. It was shortly after I posted these is when someone
> on the POTN forum notifies me of the pictures being in worth1000.com. These
> pictures aren't even a week old, since I took them last March 4, 2006.
>
> That's it. Thank you for your quick response.
>
>
> >From: "A. Muchnick" <avi@worth1000.com>
> >Subject: RE: Worth1000 Message: Image stealing
> >Date: Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:22:59 -0600
> >
> >Thanks for letting us know. Can you please link me to your site where the
> >original images are located, so we can proceed with an immediate
> >investigation?
> >

> >To: avi@worth1000.com
> >Subject: Worth1000 Message: Image stealing
> >
> >This is in regards to an entry for the "giants among us" contest. Here is
> >the link:
> >
> >http://www.worth1000.c​om/emailthis.asp?entry​=267252
> >
> >The subjects in the picture were actually taken in three separate frames.
> >All three are my images and whoever posted these for this contest is
> >stealing these images from me. I demand that this picture be withdrawn from
> >the contest, otherwise I will engage in legal action. And if possible,
> >please trace and report whoever posted that image. Thank you.

Thanks for the support and the comments on my pics guys. I can't believe someone liked my photos that much already. I just started photography and picked up my dSLR last December. I guess it is a bit flattering...

I guess there are always people out there who think a photo is free for the taking. Sorry about the mess. Hope you can work it all out. This is exactly why I only take terrible pictures, so no one steals them.

Hehe, I thought mine were terrible as well. Well, it is free for the taking for personal use I guess, like a desktop wallpaper and what not, but entering it in a contest?

I did enter my film photos in a contest once. I got an "honorable mention" for one. That's not too bad. I'm not in my league with many of you here in the forum.

SonicYan wrote:
...Well, it is free for the taking for personal use I guess, like a desktop wallpaper and what not, but entering it in a contest?

Keep this in mind though, the contest if for fun and for free.

I have been a member of Worth1000 for 2 or 3 years. I have entered several of their daily "contests" and even placed, though never #1. No one, not even the #1 winners, ever actually wins anything other than recognition from their peers.

Most of the images I have used for their contest come from Google Images. Now, I don't know if that is how (s)he found your shots, but I will admit that I never tried to contact the source for the shots I used. There was never any chance I was going to gain financially from it, nor did I represent the images as mine, ONLY the manipulation on the images. It was not like I was banking a wad by selling T-Shirts or anything.

Though I imagine it was a surprise to see your shot as the source for an entrant in a photo-manipulation contest, I am having a hard time seeing any actual damages or loss that you suffered. I am not sure that "stole" is the right word here.

Still, they are excellent shots, and I still think the manipulation was pretty good, too.

Take it easy.

Rad

Stole is the right word. I assure you not one of us on this board recieved their camera gear for free. I run into people doing it all the time with mine and I know it makes me mad when others use for free what cost me ALOT of money to create.

Yeah, I was thinking about that too, since the contest was a photoshop contest, not a photography contest. I do see a lot of PS contests too where the pictures weren't necessarily taken by the PSer. Now I'm starting to realize that I did overreact a bit. I agree, it was a bit of a suprise to me, especially since I didn't really like how the manipulation was done. But yes, no harm done. Worth1000 was pretty nice to honor my request though. Now I feel bad for the guy who edited my photo then since his entry was taken down already.

So does that mean that if a picture taken by me was manipulated but still recognizeable as mine, do I still have a right to my picture then?

Don't feel bad. The least the bugger should have done is ask your permission.

Stealing is taking something without the owner's consent... unless, the owner specifically states on the site that the pictures are royalty free and can be used for any purpose.

In my book, your pictures were stolen. You did the right thing.

That's too bad SonicYan, glad you got the entry removed. You had every right asking to have them removed and I don't think you overreacted. You took the photos, you own the copyright, even if the photo gets manipulated.

There's at least 2 sections on worth1000.com that state the entrant should own the image.

Contest guidelines/rules;
"Do not upload any image that is used illegally or is not your own work."

and in the User Agreement;
"4.3 You will not use the Worth1000.com Service to post content or to design, manufacture, market or sell a Product that (i) infringes the rights of a third party, including, without limitation, copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, rights of privacy and publicity..."

"7.2 You represent and warrant to Worth1000.com that any content you submit to Worth1000.com and any Product that you design, manufacture, market or sell using the Worth1000.com Service will not infringe the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, rights of privacy and publicity or other legal right of any third party."