damn that is lame.

it is just photobucket though, the user doesn't claim owneership. i mean.... do they? i post shit that's mine t use on my webcam and in my journal all the time.

i guess it's a little insulting if it's devart stuff.... you should license it for redistribution with permission/credit then, i mean the way it is now you can't actually get her. but if it's IN COPY right below the specified image, and she doesn't ask or credit you in any way, .... well. mad bills to you then.

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"it is just photobucket though, the user doesn't claim owneership. i mean.... do they?"

Well, some people are starting to suspect that photobucket is well aware that it's an issue, but seem to skit around it by saying in thier EULA that it's illegal, however, they do little to deter or stop it. Also, it's highly likely they generate revenue from it, so they probably don't really want to put a stop to it, as long as they can make money while denying credit. Very shady dealing, if you think about it.

I can't seem to find that the user is claiming ownership, but neither is she giving credit. There really isn't anything on her profile or bio, so there's no telling. I couldn't even find a way to contact her directly, to ask politely or warn her that she was breaking a law; which seems odd. I would have asked that she simply remove availability for prints, and credit the artists (with links) or remove the images. Though she may not be aware that she is violating any rights, or that the image is even available for prints from Photobucket... hard to say. Doubtful, but some people are really just that ignorant. Also, she has many other images - most obviously from devianART - that are of or about (I'm assuming) her favorite films, books and TV shows. So she is posting obvious fan related images, that probably have some form of copyright infringement, since they are available for more than just public display or distribution. Someone, somewhere, is generating revenue from these, illegally.

It's only slightly different to collect them for private use, or to make available for other fans. But an ownership notice or credit due is obviously missing, and needs to be addressed. Really I (and the other artists) just want them to stop allowing the availability of purchasing prints, etc., without permission or proper payed credit. They can display and share all they want, but the moment someone else makes money, it's breaking the law.

"... license it for redistribution with permission/credit ..."
Actually, I believe I did this after the first violation. I will have to check again to be certain. I'm also going back and placing an obscured watermark and my name credit on every piece I have posted.

But seriously, she RE-POSTED the image after having it removed once. Here's what Photobucket had to say the second time around;
Dear Shawn Jones,

The image has been removed.

You may need to clear your browser's cache or temporary internet files and
then refresh the page where you had viewed the image to avoid seeing an older
cached version of the image from before it was removed by us.

Sincerely,

Your Photobucket Support Team


WTF? Like I didn't already know how to do that, or tried. I empty my cache weekly, sometimes daily, and even use CCleaner regularly to keep my system fresh. I was able to view it both at work and at home. It had been removed the last time I reported it, and I know because I checked. And when I checked again, a few months later, it was back. She re-posted it, and for the second time, and has still got away without punishment. Removing it is not punishment. And tell me that it is "browser cache" one more time!! I dare you. If the image re-appears on her gallery, or any other Photobucket gallery, with the ability to buy prints, I'll join the list of people on the lawsuit. Period.

I'd also like to say that, this is a fan produced art piece. The person and character represented isn't even mine. That's why I wasn't posting it for prints or anything, because it's such a gray area with copyright images, characters and celebrity photos. I did a fair amount of manipulation and vector tracing of a publicity photo to produce it, so it is about 80% my own original work, but that 20% is still a dicey pickle I'd rather avoid. So that's another reason I don't want it getting sold. It's a redistribution share item only, with permission and credit given.

Thanks for hearing me out, that was a huge, long winded reply/rant.

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yeah dude for a second i thought i'd pissed you off. i guess it's just an irritating issue.

photobucket isn't being very professional about it, but i gotta say, i'd rather have the ability to use a free public file storage for images and not get pestered about whether the image is mine-- like DA has their hunt-dogs going around. i got PV'd for my own original content, without any warning or provocation, TWICE in a year even though the report didn't have to specify what i was copying. stupid system, because it wasn't copied from anything. but all it took was notification from a 'concerned visitor'. that hardly ever happens on photobucket.... but the price of freedom is compromising safety. that's a small price to me.
consider this above everything else: you're participating in internet media, which is the least meaningful but most widespread of all. you're pretty much rolling the dice just suing DA. it hits close to home because it's you, but we're really all just bubbles in a tidal wave here.

i do hope it doesn't happen again. if you haven't already i'd just remove the image for a few months and resubmit it under a new filename.

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OH, no, I am not mad at you. I enjoy the replies and opportunity to express our opinions, ideas, or whatever.

Yeah, that last bit makes sense. I might empty my gallery (not that I have much anyhow..) and just resubmit after editing them with proper ID markers and/or watermarks. We'll see how it goes after that.

Thanks.

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Isn't this question rhetorical?
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