Copywrite

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241
Name
Terry
Edit My Images
Yes
Somebody is using my football photos on their website without my permission and refuses to take them off. I've written to his webhost to complain and am getting no joy there either.

Should I get myself a solicitor to issue a warning notice or what?
I'd appreciate comments if possible.
 
The discussions I'm having there are not for the faint hearted.

His whole attitude is that I'm a photographer so I must be pervert who fancies men in shorts. :cuckoo:

I just wondered if anyone has had the same kind of situation with photo theft.

we could provide extra leverage for you if you told us where the site in question is
 
you could try direct contact here

Domain name: webs.com

Registrant Contact:
FREEWEBS, INC
Haroon Mokhtarzada ()

Fax:
1100 Wayne Ave.
Suite 801
Silver Spring, MD 20910
US

Administrative Contact:
FREEWEBS, INC
Haroon Mokhtarzada (inquiries@webs.com)
+1.8775986687
Fax: +1.8775986687
1100 Wayne Ave.
Suite 801
Silver Spring, MD 20910
US
 
you could try direct contact here

Domain name: webs.com

Registrant Contact:
FREEWEBS, INC
Haroon Mokhtarzada ()

Fax:
1100 Wayne Ave.
Suite 801
Silver Spring, MD 20910
US

Administrative Contact:
FREEWEBS, INC
Haroon Mokhtarzada (inquiries@webs.com)
+1.8775986687
Fax: +1.8775986687
1100 Wayne Ave.
Suite 801
Silver Spring, MD 20910
US

Thanks.
 
http://www.freewebs.com/prahafc/

There are two galleries of my photos on here. I've complained about it to the site admin and I've written to the web hosts too.

The photos are still there! :bat:

So you've contacted them to ask for their removal? Would you be satisfied with a credit and link to your site?

They've hidden their contact details pretty well - the WHOIS query above gives the details of the host website so you might have some luck through them if you write an offical sounding threat of legal action for copyright infringement.

I did some google searches to find out a little more about them - it's a Sunday League football team from Hinckley, very little mention of who runs the club but that might be a good starting point since the site claims to be the "official" Praha fc" website.
One thing that came up was a link to this bar at http://www.praha.me.uk/about.php in Hinckley - I wonder if it's a staff football club?
If it is then the address is
22/24 The Borough
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 1NL

and telephone 01455 448087

Anyone fancy calling up the restaurant to find out who manages the team? Maybe pretend to be from the last team they played "ATM Logistics" and say that one of their players left a shirt behind...?

Or maybe call Ian Gallagher the sports editor of the Hinckley Times on 01455 891398 or ian_gallagher@mrn.co.uk?


Once you know who and where to write to I'd send a recorded delivery letter outlining the copyright infingement and the actions you'd like them to take, stating a time period that it needs to happen within or you will take legal action.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for that.

As you say, the hosting company are quite difficult to pin down but after a bit of digging myself I managed to find this on their site;


Copyright Violations

Webs respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask that subscribers of our services do the same. In connection with our services, Webs has adopted and implemented a policy respecting copyright law that provides for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of subscribers of Webs's online services who are repeat infringers of intellectual property rights, including copyrights.

If you believe that one of our Members is, through the use of our services, unlawfully infringing the copyright(s) in a work, and wish to have the allegedly infringing material removed from a Webs-supported web site, the following information in the form of a written notification (pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)) must be provided to Webs's designated Copyright Agent:


Identification of the copyrighted work(s) that you claim to have been infringed;
Identification of where the infringing material is located on a web site supported by Webs;
A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the objectionable material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or under the law;
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and that under penalty of perjury, you are either the owner of the copyright that has allegedly been infringed or that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;
Your address, telephone number, and e-mail address; and
Your physical or electronic signature.

Please note that pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any misrepresentation of material fact (falsities) in a written notification automatically subjects the complaining party to liability for any damages, costs and attorney?s fees incurred by Webs (Freewebs, Inc.) in connection with the written notification and allegation of copyright infringement.

The designated Copyright Agent for Webs (Freewebs, Inc.) is:

Copyright Agent
c/o Webs Abuse Department
Freewebs, Inc.
1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 801
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Should the proper information and supporting documentation be in order, please fill out the following form to report the copyright violation.


I've filled the form out an emailed it to them.

On a point of principle, I'm angry that Praha Fc have refused to take the pictures down themselves. The guy who plays for them and admins their site accused me of being a "homosexual who hides in bushes and likes taking photographs of men in shorts". Needless to say, I'd just like the photographs removed. I'm not interested in credit or a link.
 
Issue a DMCA notice to their web host. They will have to act. If they don't (smaller resellers often aren't aware of their obligations) then issue it to the data centre.

You can also issue to search engines to get the copyright infringer's website removed from search results.

And of course, you can tell the infringer what you're planning to do...
 
I assume your blog, and/or the photos, state the material is copyright etc.?
Report them to the body they register their team with too. Bringing the game/league into disrepute by theft of copyright material.
The guy who plays for them and admins their site accused me of being a "homosexual who hides in bushes and likes taking photographs of men in shorts".
New blog entry = The site admin of "bawbag united" (or whatever they are called) has the hots for Terry St. This became obvious when he was asked to remove the images he stole from here and placed on the team's official website. The only possible reason for this is pent up sexual tension. He has obviously spotted the photographer at matches ans is using this theft as a means of maintaining contact, because his sexual inadequacies prevent him making proper contact.
 
New blog entry = The site admin of "bawbag united" (or whatever they are called) has the hots for Terry St. This became obvious when he was asked to remove the images he stole from here and placed on the team's official website. The only possible reason for this is pent up sexual tension. He has obviously spotted the photographer at matches ans is using this theft as a means of maintaining contact, because his sexual inadequacies prevent him making proper contact.

:lol: But do we really want to fight copyright infringment with (possible) libel? :D
 
I While all the above advice re contacting the hosting company, in the meantime take screen grabs of all your shts being used without permission. Issue an invoice with 28 day payment terms. If he doesn't pay up in that time lodge a claim at the small claims court. If he doesn't turn up for that, the decision will automatically be in your favour and he'll have to pay, plus have his credit record affected.
 
I think maybe a blog post along the lines of "my images have been stolen" and I'm pursuing the matter throught the courts might be worth a try, sombody obviously reads your blog from the team (or they wouldn't have found them in the first place) that may make them wary of keeping the pics up.
Have you checked out the other teams you have shot? sombody may be selling your pics on to them, worth checking.
Keep us informed on what happens please. Wayne
 
I think they may well have taken your pics off their site. If I recall correctly there were 4 albums in the photo gallery the other day and having just looked again there are only two now.
 
I think they may well have taken your pics off their site. If I recall correctly there were 4 albums in the photo gallery the other day and having just looked again there are only two now.

Maybe they've seen this thread after checking out why they were getting so many referral visits from TP.
 
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