posted on August 14, 2001 08:36:14 PM
Has this ever happened?
I listed and sold an item Saturday, Sunday my competitor lists the same thing (Only one of) and uses my picture and my text! word for word! he even used the blurb about how I am going through a major move and need to sell some collectables! and used my about me! word for word!
I have contacted ebay, and wait. I hold the COA to this item! he is doing this to upset me, and he is. It's not a dollar issue here.
I have also planed to snip the auction in the last 10 sec of the auction and leave a very powerful and proving NEG! I will put a one liner with the real auction # of mine on his neg.
What a FREAK!
I called my web master and had him make a jpg through firworks of the text I use on all my auctions, and have my eBay ID logo in the middle, PLUS I put a few water marks on that as well as all my pic from this day forth.
Here is the letter I wrote (half a sleep)
START
Hello eBay, This e-mail contains an attached jpg of my COA for this.
I have a problem with xxxxxxxxxxxx
duplicating my auctions,
pictures and words! for a small reference my item number xxxxxxxx of mine
that ended Saturday to his item number xxxxxx opened today - he
STOLEN MY WORDS, MY TEXT,
AND MY PICTURE!
He has STOLEN my about me information and about us information! He is
a fake! I can back up my originality and history of all my
information and text - it can all be traced through my auctions, he
has just started this new game.
The item numbers are of a xxxxxxx from the movie "xxxxxxxx".
I hold the original certificate of
authenticity, I own the original, therefore I hold the rights to it
and...... I WAS IN THE MOVIE (as far as this xxxxxxxxxxxxxx goes) The
picture
he has - has a dimple on the right, this is mine. My work My words My
pictures. Also note the Gannett in the back ground that can be seen
in this picture to the bottom right. this table can be seen in some
pictures I take that cannot be properly cropped.
BCC xxxxxx
END
I know, not a very good letter, but, I woke to this and freaked! I had to start the ball rolling. I had spent an entire day tweaking this problem.
My stalker will not give me a break! any legal ways to keep this freak away? any thing I can do about him stealing my text and pics - aside from what we started today?
Anyone else but me have these stalking problems?
posted on August 14, 2001 09:00:33 PM
Don't know if you can do this while the auction is running or not, but is there anyway you could put words on your photo, such as "This thief has stolen this picture from XXX"
Even better would to put the ugliest picture you can find or take & replace it with the stolen one.
posted on August 14, 2001 09:16:27 PM
If this is a serious cyberstalk and is costing you a lot of money, you might consider hiring a private investigator to get the scoop on this person, then turn the info over to an attorney or the authorities.
I can recommend the private eye at: http://www.tacticsone.com. You can ask him a few general questions for free by going to http://www.askme.com and searching under the nickname "Detective". (NOTE: I am not affiliated with this detective agency, but know of their work.)
Go on the offensive, but handle it in a professional manner. Intentional interference with a business is actionable if you can establish damages. Please seek legal advice. This person sounds nuts.
posted on August 15, 2001 04:53:38 AM
If the auction is still running and the other seller has linked to your photo and not copied it to his web space, add the following text or something similar to the picture:
If this photo is in an auction by a seller other than [your ID], it is stolen. Please see auction [your auction #] for the original.
posted on August 15, 2001 05:19:51 AM
I've heard of this happening before. The person copies all the sellers info, then after they rip a buyer off, the buyer thinks it is the original seller because that was the name they were given. They'll often tell the buyer that "I am also this other id on ebay" and the buyer will see the my info is the same and believe it.
posted on August 15, 2001 05:55:27 AM
Seems to me if, as you say in your letter, the item has a certificate of authenticity and its from some movie, then you had the ral one.....Could you not contact ebay through their VERO program and have the auction ended by making a statement that the one your competitor has is a fake?
I like that line if I snip the aution and leave him a NEG!
I know who this guy is, it is the same guy that caused me to be suspended in erroe 4 times, he was given a copy of the item by me. The real reason for being ticked is the fact he took MY text and copied my picture.
If he wants to sell copies and fakes, fine, let him get busted on his own - but stealing text word for word and taking my about me text??????? does this freak want people to think we are the same?
I did contact the VERO program - I down loaded a form and so far it looks geared for trademark people. I will continue to look. My best blast is to snip the auction and leave a NEG, I don't care if he negs me for this...... I have the proof and the auction numbers to put on the neg.
posted on August 15, 2001 11:02:37 AM
AuthorizedArt
You have already contacted Ebay. Now contact his ISP or whoever is hosting his images. Let them know that he has ripped off your images and demand to have them removed. They will do it.
Then just relax and see what happens. Don't work yourself into a lather over it.
posted on August 15, 2001 11:28:16 AM
VeRO will handle it. I use it all the time for that exact same purpose. Join VeRO, notify them, and they will yank the auction within hours. If the seller lists it again, he will be suspended. You don't have to be Microsoft or Adobe to use the VeRO program. Don't be lazy, just fill out the VeRO form and send it to eBay.
