posted on May 18, 2002 06:21:39 PM
I have been selling Star Wars costumes for about a month with good results & just discovered another seller of the same items has copied my ads WORD-FOR-WORD! (I really put some time & thought into them since I was selling so many of the same things.) What REALLY ticks me off is that he/she also stole my photos, including one of MY SON!!! This is bringing out the mother bear in me. Grrrrrrrrr!! Such bodaciously unethical behavior. Did this person think I wouldn't NOTICE?? (Even used my stolen photos in the gallery like a red flag.) I'm still running those ads!
O.K. Now that I've VENTED (thanks for listening), is there anything I can do about this?? My ads weren't copyrighted. Do people actually copyright every ad? And how do I prevent this from happening again?? (Should I say anything to this thief or just keep my mouth shut?) Sigh.
[Sorry - I'm re-posting this because I forgot to check the "e-mail notification" box]
posted on May 18, 2002 06:39:23 PM
Are they linking to your picture hosting service for the photos or did they just lift them to their own service?
If they just lifted, I would email them and tell them that they must remove your child's picture from their auctions immediately, since he is a minor and you haven't given them permission.
If they are linked directly to your pic hosting then you can send the a bill for the photo's and copy they are using. Just send them a PayPal request for payment/money and in the message portion add: Charges for photo hosting/ad copy on item#XXXXXXX. Then add that if they choose not to pay for your service then to close the auctions immediately.
No threats are anything, just business. If they are going to use your pic/copy then they should pay for it.
If they are linking to your hosting site, I think you could probably copy your photos and rename them. Then change the url address in your current auctions from the old number to the new one and just delete the others or switch pictures.
That's a lot of work, so I'd go for asking that your minor child's picture be removed from their auction and sending the a bill for the ad.
If they don't stop, notify eBay that they are using your minor child's picture without your permission.
posted on May 18, 2002 06:53:50 PM
I found the auctions, the guy just copied the photos, and is using AOL to host them. I would file a complaint to Ebay and AOL, and think twice about using your child as a model for these costumes...
posted on May 18, 2002 07:44:48 PM
Since he is a new seller maybe, just maybe, he doesn't know the rules. First I would email him, through the ask the seller a question, and explain to him that he cannot use your pictures, ask him to remove them, be nice, then if he gets testy go on from there. He has just listed them so there is plenty of time for him to remove your pictures before his auctions are over.
