posted on August 3, 2001 12:50:42 PM
When you filled out your original Notice of Infringement, did you use the e-mail address associated with your eBay account as the e-mail address to be used for "ended auction inquiries" -- or did you use an alternate e-mail address?
Does it matter?
Also, have you ever ended anyone's auction because they stole your auction page content (photos, text, etc)?
posted on August 3, 2001 01:03:43 PM
I use an alternate address and a separate ebaY account for my VERO activities.
I have auctions ended several times a week (often several times a day)for various acts of infringement. This includes:
posted on August 3, 2001 01:12:37 PM
MrBusinessMan,
Thanks for your reply. I understand why you may wish to use a separate e-mail address, but if I may inquire, what is your thinking in using a separate eBay account for your VeRO activities?
Don't the people you report automatically figure out who turned them in? So what is the advantage to using a separate eBay ID? And while I'm asking, have any of them ever tried to retaliate for getting their auctions ended? I ask because it seems to me that these cretins have no integrity to begin with -- basically, they are thieving and lazy -- and might be inclined to screw around with your auctions as revenge.
posted on August 3, 2001 03:10:56 PM
My "VERO" ebaY ID has a blistering "We take any measures necessary to protect our intellectual property from scum like you!" diatribe on the About Me page. I go on to list in detail exactly what we do to stop the thievery. I don't want the bidders on my auctions to see this diatribe unless and until they try to rip me off.
I have had several of these jerks try to mess with my auctions after I had their auctions ended. One woman placed a bid for 30 widgets on one of my dutch auctions in an attempt to leave me 30 negs. I noticed it right away and canceled her bids. She was stupid enough to bid with the same ID that she had listed MY items with. She then placed 20 bids on another auction and I turned her in to SafeHarbor. She was NARU within the hour. She then listed the same item that was VERO'd earlier using an ebaY ID of her friend. I had that auction ended as well. She turned around and listed it again 2 days later using the same friend's ID. This time ebaY NARU'd her friend's ID. Her friend sent me a scathing email about how all of HER friends would "set me straight" for getting her account NARU'd (her account had 340 odd positives, 1 neutral, and 0 negs before it was NARU'd). I was actually a little nervous after I got that email, but nothing ever happened.
I went round after round with that woman for about a month. I guess she finally got tired of the games and gave up. But her friend had me worried with her comments about her friends messing with my auctions. How in the world can you protect yourself from something like that? But like you said earlier, it's a simple matter for a jerk to find out who VERO'd their auction. You would obviously suspect the person that you bought the item from in the first place.
posted on August 3, 2001 03:32:56 PM
It kills me the way these freaks can't work up the energy to create their own auction page content, but have seemingly endless resources when it comes to harrassing the rightful owners of the material.
I guess it comes down to a question of making a stand. If you don't do anything, these a-holes will walk all over you. And if you do take steps to deter them, they may screw around with your auctions -- in other words, with your livelihood.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I suppose it's a question of what you can live with.
posted on August 3, 2001 05:10:42 PM
Can I suggest that VeRO members check out the following UK Auction sites. I suggest that you do a search on Shrek.
www.ebay.co.uk
www.yahoo.co.uk
www.qxl.com
www.FSauctions.co.uk
posted on August 3, 2001 05:19:26 PM
How do you find out about someone stealing your pics, descriptions, etc.? Do you sell something relatively unique or do you just routinely review all listings selling the items that you sell?
I had an auction a couple of months ago for a relatively rare complete set of widgets. A web site devoted to these widgets drooled over my pictures and asked if they could use them on their widget fan club page, crediting me. I allowed that. Recently I saw my pics in someone else's auction and because of the way they are cropped I think she stole them from the widget fan club page. Can I still go after her?
::itching for a fight::
(Edited to add that I sold my complete set of widgets, so have no need for the pictures any more. But that's not the point, is it??)
Gerald
"Oh but it's so hard to live by the rules/I never could and still never do."
[ edited by NothingYouNeed on Aug 3, 2001 05:20 PM ]
As I understand the VeRO program, you can stop the woman using your pics. You just have to fill out and sign an affidavit to "certify under penalty of perjury" that the material you lay claim to is really yours.
posted on August 3, 2001 05:49:32 PM
MrBusinessMan is right. If you're a VeRO member, you need to put up an AboutMe page. I don't want my customers seeing that VeRO stuff ("write your own description, you lousy thief!". I just use a Hotmail account, but I hardly VeRO any more. I don't even look at the eBay listings so if someone's stealing from me I'll never know. Except sometimes bidders send me emails. Recently someone told me they bought a copyrighted software of mine from somebody. They sent me the file as an attachment. I contacted the seller and he denied it. When I told him I had proof and described the package to him, he argued it was "no big deal." Do whatever it takes to protect your stuff. I'd rather do that than hide in a closet.
BTW, it doesn't matter what email address you use. If you VeRO someone for copying your ad, they're going to know who complained. (The person whose ad they copied.)
posted on August 3, 2001 06:29:09 PM
I have a question for everyone who is soooo upset about pic theft.
I always take my own pictures -- without fail. I do not have time to go around hunting the same item for sale to see how someone else has it listed.
However, here is an example. I have a Sony Mavica camera -- perhaps you have a Sony Mavica Camera. I sell a postcard - perhaps you sell the same postcard. I took my picture close up so only the postcard shows. perhaps you did the same. Well, we are going to have the same photo of the same item if both are in good condition.
How do you know someone stole your picture and doesn't just take one like yours. This would be true of books, magazines, etc. A picture of the front cover is a picture of the front cover. It will always look the same if you are a good photographer taking the picture in good light.
Wording of ads, yes, that could easily be determined. But pictures, I don't know how you can tell and why everyone spends soooo much time worrying about it!
Your photo and mine, both taken with Mavicas, won't have the same file size and the same pixel size. Usually the stolen pics do (unless they've been edited somehow, which pic theives seldom bother to do).
Also, most of my pics will have some telltale feature (a small mark, or a shadow, or a slight reflection from lighting).
Twinsoft: About Me pages aren't required for VeRO members.
I VeRO under my buying ID, never my selling ID, in order to reduce the liklihood of retaliation that might impact my business. eBay hasn't had any trouble figuring out that I have two ID's.
Maybe I'm just being dense, but I don't see how using your buying ID to VeRO reduces your risk of retaliation (and isn't just a kick-in-the-pants that we even have to worry about this in the first place?)
As several people said, even those with the most rudimentary sense of logic will figure out that the person who VeRO'd them is the person whose property they stole.
posted on August 4, 2001 09:42:19 AM
Magazine_Guy, VeRO Plus members are required to have an AboutMe page. I forget what the distinction is, but as I recall VeRO members are encouraged to join the Plus program.
Yeah, some theives will probably know. But my thinking is that folks that steal pics probably don't record or recall where they stole them from-- lazy is lazy, after all. There may be several similar items out there, and once their auction is yanked, it's unlikely they will take the time to go pic comparing to find out where they stole it from. Similar with description stealing (although I guess if the original auction was still in the database, they could find it through search-- if they remembered which part of their description was pilfered).
I prefer to have my buying ID be the target of any unwarranted reprisals.
TS: Never heard of VeRO plus-- I'll take a look. If the benefits are anything like the benefits of being a powerseller, I think I'll pass...
S.
[ edited by magazine_guy on Aug 4, 2001 11:29 AM ]
posted on August 4, 2001 12:14:32 PM
spaz: I think the purpose of using an alternative user id for VERO is one of a few steps to take to at least make it not so easy for the thieving troglodyte cretins to retaliate.
I have a disclaimer about intellectual and real property in my auctions. But this means nothing to a thief. I have tried to make it inconvenient to steal my stuff. I water mark my images, and I use the right click disable JAVA for the entire page, not just the images. I know how to by pass the JAVA and get rid of the water marks, as I am sure others do. But Magazine Guy is right. These people are lazy and if they are going to steal my stuff they are going to have to do a little work. Searching around and reporting VERO can be very time consuming. I only do it anymore when it is so blatant and in your face that I trip over it. My take on the matter is that I do what I can to stop these people short of turning it into a full time job.
I can never really tell if these people are without any ethics or morals or just plain stupid. I had one guy use the "Ask Seller A Question" link from the auction page to send me a scathing email complete with profanity. Who did I think I was to disable right click on my auctions pages. He wanted a few of the images. Not only was he furious that he couldn't steal from me, he was dumb enough to use the link on the page to voice his indignation. It sounded as if he was looking for an apology and for me to send him the images, but I sent the message to Safeharbour and he was NARUed with a few hours.
You mentioned "right click disable." I have never heard of that before. How does it work?
Also, is there a way to make item descriptions impervious to those who use ordinary cut and paste to swipe text? I don't think they use right click to swipe it, just regular cut and paste.
. I just use a Hotmail account, but I hardly VeRO any more. I don't even look at the eBay listings so if someone's stealing from me I'll never know. Except sometimes bidders send me emails. Recently someone told me they bought a copyrighted software of mine from somebody. They sent me the file as an attachment. I contacted the seller and he denied it. When I told him I had proof and described the package to him, he argued it was "no big deal." Do whatever it takes to protect your stuff. I'd rather do that than hide in a closet.
