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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Question/advice on copyright ...
Bev Daly, Photographer
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Sierra Vista | AZ | USA | Posted: 12:57 PM on 11.02.09 |
->> I shoot high school sports and sell to parents through my website. A parent purchased a print from me then proudly showed me last week her "cool shirt" with my photo front and center that she got printed at the local Wal-mart photo lab...seems she also got one printed at a local graphic t-shirt printer in town...
Shouldn't both places have asked for a copyright release since it was obviously a professional shot? (Shot from the endzone, etc..)
What steps should I take to ensure this doesn't happen again? (Not that I can totally control this, of course...)
I'm interested in hearing from the pros who may have had to deal with this in the past. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Brockton | MA | United States | Posted: 2:09 PM on 11.02.09 |
->> What steps should I take to ensure this doesn't happen again? (Not that I can totally control this, of course...)
Stop taking photos.
Now on a more practical note.... You should have taken a photo of the woman in the tee shirt. Then you should have called the store or gone to it and asked for a meeting with the store manager. Not the manager on duty or the department manager or a CSR. The store manager. Bring the photo of the woman in the shirt AND a photo of the photo used to make the shirt. Explain that you want to make the store aware of the violation and that you will also be making the district manager and the corp office aware of the violation. Any future violations will simply addressed with the company's legal department.
Make sure that your photos have your (C) back printed on them. We're talking about a HIGH SCHOOL game. The fact that the photo was taken in the endzone is hardly indicative of it being taken by a "pro". Most hs games have 3 or 4 cameras in the endzone, sideline, or hell even the locker room, You have to do something to identify the print as (c) B. Daly to at least give the store a fighting chance of protecting you.
For the record I had it happen to me with CVS and a simple chat with the manager AND the followup with district AND corp level did the deal for me. This year I had someone call to order a 30" poster because CVS would do it this year ;) |
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Clark Brooks, Photo Editor, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 2:09 PM on 11.02.09 |
->> Bev:
First, register the image (and all the images from that game - and whatever else you want protected) with the US Copyright office. The clock is ticking.
Next, try to get a photo of the person wearing your image on their shirt and write as much detail down as you can remember or she is willing to give again evidence.
While you are waiting for the registration certificate do a search with the search terms "copyright infringement" you'll be armed with the right information to take the next step after the images have been registered. |
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