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Clear Shine · Guest

Stolen gutter pic on someone's website

Roof Cleaning Cleveland (216) 323-0552 · Feb 2, 2011

First I would take his link down. Try to get him on the phone and talk it out.

Roof Cleaning Toledo Ohio (419) 265-3306 · Guest

They are guest on this board also. Maybe if you can prove it's yours our BOD can sent him a nice message. Otherwise why are you advertising for him? His link?

Guest

Other than the fact that he treated you the way he did,..I don't see it as a big deal if someone uses a picture in a positive way,..and not in a way to put a bad spin on something,...

Being a direct competitor would probably irk me a little too I suppose.

But that is just my opinion,...I personally couldn't care less if someone uses photos that I have on the net,..as long as it's in a good light.

Aside from the opinions on this,..is it in any way against the law? Just wondering.

Jeff

-- Edited by Raystown Roof Cleaning Central PA 1-800-236-0322 on Thursday 3rd of February 2011 08:06:40 AM

Roof Cleaning Virginia 540-949-6277 · Roof Cleaning Institute of America Premium Member/MODERATOR

There have been posts here, maybe in the premium section about copyright and adding a watermark to photos. I am unable to find it, maybe someone else can. Jeff is right that people use each other's pictures but the large majority have the respect to ask. The law is pretty simple when it comes to copyright, once you make it, write it, draw it, it is yours and automatically copyrighted. The only thing registering your work does is give you proof that it's yours when you go to court.

At the bottom of my 1st page on my web site it states:

"Content copyright 2010-2011. Blue Ridge Roof Cleaning of Virginia. All rights reserved."

This site will answer many and most of your questions.

http://www.publishlawyer.com/carousel1.htm

Procedure for Getting Protection

Copyright protection arises automatically when an original work of authorship is fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Registration with the Copyright Office is optional (but you have to register before you file an infringement suit).

The use of copyright notice is optional for works distributed after March 1, 1989. Copyright notice can take any of these three forms:

© followed by a date and name.
"Copyright" followed by a date and name.
"Copr." followed by a date and name.

Maybe a simple, short and to the point letter explaining that he "stole" something that is protected and from a site that is also protected under copyright laws will work.

As was stated, he is a member/guest here and to me, that is more of a reason to reprimand someone or even ban them for a period of time than some words someone might not like.

Brett

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX · Guest

Take it as a compliment that you take such good photos others are willing to use them to try and sell their own customers. It really doesnt harm anyone.

However, if he's a local competitor send him a cease and desist letter. If that doesnt work, just go make some money and forget about it.

Guest

There's someone on the RCIA that goes by 'Midtown'. I wonder if it's the same person? I hope not.

Clear Shine · Guest

Roof Cleaning Northern Virginia (571) 250 9650 wrote:

There's someone on the RCIA that goes by 'Midtown'. I wonder if it's the same person? I hope not.

Yes, Ted, it is the same person. I looked up 'midtown' in the directory and said it was Doug Black who owns Midtown Service Solutions and operates http://www.midtownservicesolutions.com/.

-- Edited by Clear Shine on Saturday 5th of February 2011 06:29:07 PM

Guest

I've got a guy driving around in his wrapped box truck with giant before and after pictures of a job that I did right down the street from my house. I called him on it (in a very round about way) and he said his graphics guy was responsible. He was very upset and tried to convince me to take money for my inconvenience. He was persistant about gving me something so that he didn't feel like he was stealing from me. He wasn't my competition so I didn't care about it very much.

People get screwed sometimes by the guys they pay to build their sites, design their graphics, ect. Watermark your photos. I have done some of mine, but not all. It is something I need to get around to.

Brian

Clear Shine · Guest

Here is Mr Blacks reply to his domain sending him info on my complaint...thought I would pass it along to you here.....

Dear Jeremy Kiefer and Domainsbyproxy.com:

The facts are as follows:

1)Mr. Kiefer hosts a very small size image of 10kb http://www.clearshineclean.com/images/stories/gutter-cleaning/gutter-cleaning-02_thumb.jpg

of an ordinary house with a half cleaned gutter zoomed away on his website and claims that my image is his.This is false. The image I host is over 2.5 times LARGER, at 25kb and is a close up shot that looks quite different and is of a quality not possible from his (crappy) hosted image. http://www.midtownservicesolutions.com/images/gutters%20(215%20x%20168).jpg

The only similarity is that my image is also of an ordinary house with half the gutter cleaned.The fact is that there is nothing special about Mr. Kiefer’s picture and that the home in his picture is like that of thousands and thousands of home in my area. I don’t claim to know the location of where I took the picture; I have been doing this time or work on some basis for around 15 years now and NEARLY every house looks similar to my picture and a good percentage (~5%)are that dirty.

2)There is nothing special about gutter stain removal or taking a picture of it. You clean half a dirty gutter and take a picture. It is not hard to do. Any picture taken can look about the same.

In short, his picture sucks and is small and zoomed out; my picture is over 2.5 times larger and zoomed in, and they are DIFFERENT PICTURES. I will be looking into stamping my pictures to prevent my time from being wasted by someone who obviously sits in front of his computer too much.

Doug Black

From: generalmanager@domainsbyproxy.com

Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2011 3:22 PM

To: midtownsolutions@hotmail.com

Subject: Possible Legal Issue Regarding MIDTOWNSERVICESOLUTIONS.COM578125

Dear Customer,

Since we have received notice that there is a possible legal issue regarding the domain name MIDTOWNSERVICESOLUTIONS.COM, you will need to contact the complainant no later than close of business on February 18, 2011, and provide enough information to remove Domains By Proxy from this issue.

In order to prove you have attempted contact, we require that you or your representative copy or blind copy generalmanager@domainsbyproxy.com in your initial correspondence with the complainant.Failure to comply can result in the disclosure of your contact information to the complainant.

Complainant information:

Jeremy Kiefer

Clear Shine Maintenance

sales@clearshineclean.com

Very truly yours,

Jeffrey Renoir

Office of the General Manager

Domains By Proxy, Inc.

Doug Black
Owner, Midtown Service Solutions LLC
http://www.midtownservicesolutions.com/
(919) 412-2432

Feb 16, 2011

Looks like the same picture to me?
It doesn't say much for anyone to have to steal someone elses pictures.
Don't they have any jobs worth looking at?
I don't know the accused stealer, but he's not gaining a whole lotta fame from this picture-other than you pasting his link for him!

I'd edit that out. I'd say something to him like you did, but while it's not nice, I don't think it's illegal, nor a big worry.
I do see how you'd feel though!
Chuck Bergman Soft Wash Roof Cleaning Charlotte / Sarasota County Florida

Guest

He is a competitor of mine. LOL

Guest

You don't gotta worry Greg...He say's our way is primative......lol

CarolinaProWash · Guest

From the Carolinas.....how damn embarrassing.

Guest

I just wonder what he's using if our methods are primative.. What a crazy man

Feb 16, 2011

CarolinaProWash wrote:

From the Carolinas.....how damn embarrassing.

I like your video! Very professional!

Chuck Bergman

gutterdog · Feb 16, 2011

I traded some before and afters for some software. That was fair. Didn't cost either one of us nuthing really! There is brotherhood in the RCIA.

CarolinaProWash · Guest

Thanks Chuck :)

Celeste

gutterdog · Feb 16, 2011

CarolinaProWash wrote:

From the Carolinas.....how damn embarrassing.

Arent you in the Gutter Section????

gutterdog · Feb 16, 2011

CarolinaProWash wrote:

Thanks Chuck :)

Celeste

I dont understand what you guys are doing here. This is the best place to post!!!!

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