Has anyone had a company use a pic of your car without your permission?

[damaged442]

I've posted this on a few other forums I'm on and figured I'd throw it up here to get a few more opinions...

I'm always looking for parts for my 73 and 77 Oldsmobiles. While I was perusing EBay, I came across a site that manufactures various decal sets for cars and next thing I know, I am looking at my car.

Trust me, I know it's my car. It's pretty rare in a special order paint code. I have yet to see another like it. Plus, when you take the pic, you know!

I'm sure one of you has had this happen, as many of you are taking photos of your work. A company uses your pic on their website without your permission. What did you do about it? What can you do about it?

[expdetailing]

Nothing; just be flattered. I'm sure that doesn't sit well now.
Commence flame suit

[tuscarora dave]

One time I worked on an older faded red (it looked pink) single stage BMW testing the limits and capabilities of HD Uno. I worked and worked and worked it with varying speeds, pressures, foam compositions etc. and just couldn't get it to finish flawlessly. Finally I broke out some Meguiar's M-205 and quickly finished it flawlessly.

I posted the 50/50 photo with my story of the found shortcomings of HD Uno and the resulting solution in using 205 to get it finished flawlessly. on autopia.org.

The following day I received a PM from a fellow AGO member, titled "looks familiar". 3D international took my image and added the text "Look what HD Uno can do" over the image and made a commercial PDF advertisement out of it.

I was flattered that they used my image, and understood that once I posted it to their forum, the image became "Property of 3D International" but I got a kick out of the false claims they printed over the image. In fact, HD Uno couldn't produce those results...It took a Meguiar's product to produce a result that their product couldn't produce. Of course they didn't mention that fact when they used the fruit of my labor to make their commercial with.

I understand this is not quite what you are talking about in your questioning but thought I would tell the story here anyway.

[expdetailing]

Somewhere somebody in PMing: "I will pay you good money to remove that post; and if you don't accept I'll..."

[RaskyR1]

I think it depends on how the photo is being used. If it's being used as a means to show work they claim to have done, then by all means contact them. If it's just being used as a physical representation to show something, like a feature on a specific year and make of car, then I'd say it's not big deal. Either way, if it bothers you, contact them.

I Google pics all the time and copy/paste them if I'm trying to show an image of what I'm talking about.

[PreludeVTEC01]

Happens all the time... Only if you are lucky will they credit you (as the car owner or photographer). I have had many of my Walt Disney World images used by others before. The best advice is to watermark all pictures but then they will just crop out of the watermark.

[SYMAWD]

If you post it on a forum, it's fair game, but if it's taken from your personal website, people shouldn't take it.

[expdetailing]

Yeah, happens all the time. Schwartzenegger used to cut and paste his head on my body back in the Terminater days. Never got paid a dime...

[damaged442]

It just feels weird. I never thought that anyone would use any of my pictures of my car for anything. Apparently, it was a decent shot. Clearly, I am not a professional photographer or anything, so I always thought of pictures that I took were for info only. It was one of those "Hey man, car looks good, any more pics of it?", "You know how forums love pics," "This thread is worthless without pics" thing.

I'm just not sure the best way to handle it in a relatively professional manner, when one's first instinct is to call them and be relatively unprofessional.

I definitely don't want to be a jerk about it, and when I get around to restoring my car properly, I will most likely be contacting them for the new decals, as they really do good work.

[allenk4]

Lepore's Detailing "Borrowed" a photo of mine and one of Art Hernandez's off of Art's Facebook page and posted them on his business FaceBook page

I emailed him and asked him to take them down. He told me he took the pictures and did those details.

Couldn't believe it

Eventually, he took them down and replaced them with video clips of himself hitting softballs

Strange picture to "Borrow" don't you think

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5345_1_2_1_.JPG

[g35_coupe]

Lepore's Detailing "Borrowed" a photo of mine and one of Art Hernandez's off of Art's Facebook page and posted them on his business FaceBook page

I emailed him and asked him to take them down. He told me he took the pictures and did those details.

Couldn't believe it

Eventually, he took them down and replaced them with video clips of himself hitting softballs

Strange picture to "Borrow" don't you think

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_5345_1_2_1_.JPG

That is a pretty cool pic. May I borrow it? :D

[allenk4]

That is a pretty cool pic. May I borrow it? :D

As long as you tag it Detailed by Kyle....you can do whatever you want with it

[Rmd]

A picture you take is protected by copyright. You have remedies if someone uses it unlawfully ("infringement"). I don't see any monetary loss to you based on the infringement you described. If the user won't take it down voluntarily, you can make a demand on the ISP hosting the site and the ISP should remove it on their own since there are consequences to an ISP who knowingly hosts infringing material.

Google DMCA takedown for an overview.