The News Today violates photographer copyright – erases watermarks
January 27, 2009 by admin
The News Today violates photographer copyright – erases watermarks
They say events come in 3s.. Well it happened to me. It really seems like that one of my missions in life is to catch and teach people about copyright. The sad part is that instead of basking in the limelight that my photos are being used to promote the dinagyang festival, I lose the chance for this brief accomplishement that any photographer would love to have, because people think everything online is FREE.. and download the photos without permission.
I wonder what they will think if i send them a bill, or even worse a demand letter or just take them to court. Just like my earlier experience with Manila Bulletin
This is story #1 of my Dinagyang Festival Experience. yes.. there are 2 more to be told, I will write them one at a time to highlight their marvelous deed.
The Story:
I met up with some photographer friends in a coffee shop and was surprised to see my photo on the cover of THE NEWS TODAY, a local daily of Iloilo City. I opened the page to find a 5 more photos.
All photos that were used originally had watermarks on them with my © anton sheker but.. they were all either cropped out or erased.
During the Ati-Ati streetdancing contest, I approached one of the announcers of the festival, who mentioned that she worked for PNA, the content provider of the news today. She got my name, number
and i gave her my website where the photos were supposedly downloaded. She told me that she will have the managing editor of the newspaper call me, its already tuesday. i would think that something like this would be considered an urgent matter. Unless it is “their usual practice to download images of the net” like some other big newspaper.
Here is my photo.. coincidence? well they will have to provide the original photo as proof. If I didnt take this photo, Id like to meet the photographer that shot it .
This photo was used in the Dinagyang 2009 – “Dream City Iloilo Welcomes the World” by Florence Hibionada
Here are 3 other photos used in the same article by The News Today all photos have watermarks but still it didnt stop them from taking the photo and erasing the watermark. In the first image, my name was cloned out.. ( blue shirt photo) in the second photo the water mark was cropped out (girl with yellow feathers) and cloned out again in the crab man photo.
Look at the photo on the upper right.. These photos were used in the article Saturday Fever: Kasadyahan competition by Aiza G. Diaz and Charmaine Grace Paraico.
Was it so hard to ask permission? I believe in Tourism thru Photography, but please give credit where it is due. Using Photos that is not yours and dont have permission to use it is a violation of my basic copyright. How many coffee shops, hotels and restaurants where flooded with this Dinagyang Special Supplementary Issue? What makes it worse is that they intentionally erased my watermark.. now that adds malice to this whole situation.
How many photographers are in Iloilo? How many have you deprived work from by stealing the photos?
Mahiya kayo! Here are the People behind that Special Dinagyang Festival Issue
Dinagayang Special Supplementary Issue 2009
- Joanne Marie Combong-Pijuan – Editor in chief
- Alven T. Polido – Graphic Designer
Contributors: Kathy Villalon, Nonoi Ybeirnas, Florence Hibionada, Ramon Salvilla, Aiza Diaz, Charmain Grace Paraico, Mark Aranduque, Chris Fernandez.
The News Today
- Marichel Teves-Magalona – Managing Editor
- Erly C. Garcia – Editor-in-Chief
Graphic Designers: Ely K. Pineda, Alven T. Polido, Rodel Cuaresma.
If you are a photographer and want them to know how you feel, drop them a line feedback@thenewstoday.info
or check out their website: www.thenewstoday.info
I wonder who owns the other photos that were used… check it, it just might be your dinagyang photos!
I could had understand a blogger or someone not knowledgeable can steal photos from time to time, and is not used in a medium that is sold.
But for a newspaper, they should know what is right and what is wrong.
Kahit magpaalam man lang. Or give credits at least if you used it without permission.
Nakikiramay ako sa iyo mr. anton. If this trend will happen and become rampant, what will happen to those photographers who earns their living in taking photos? They spend hard earned money to go to the place to shoot! Here comes the newspapers, who sell their wares to the public and the one who took the photos did not even got a single centavo! This is considered Piracy!!
anton!
4 of my photos were used in Panay news. 1 was used in a TV commercial. 2 was used by a local dept store as a tarpaulin banner.
i sent a bill to Pnay news, kasi strike 3 na sila sa akin…
wait.. i jaz noticed. that santo nino image sa newspper shot mo.. its mine..
damn…
Story also discussed here:
http://www.digitalphotographer.com.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=20686
http://lionsdenxxiii.multiply.com/links/item/156/The_News_Today_violates_photographer_copyright_-_erases_watermarks
http://thaniel1.multiply.com/links/item/18/Newspaper_infringes_on_photographers_copyright
http://productred.multiply.com/journal/item/112/The_News_Today_Iloilo_Violates_Photographers_Copyright
http://kaotep.multiply.com/journal/item/12/The_News_Today_Iloilo_Violates_Photographers_Copyright
http://bulacanphotography.multiply.com/links/item/5/The_News_Today_violates_photographer_copyright_-_erases_watermarks
http://pmelendres.multiply.com/journal/item/119/The_News_Today_violates_photographer_copyright_-_erases_watermarks
Eric,
Panay news? hmm i didnt see their newspaper, my copy ka dyan? I want to see if they used any of my photos too..
i have both news today and visayan daily headlines if you want to check your photos..
[...] the earlier Story of The News today violating copyright, I feel sad that media is the first to violate copyright. A friend tried calling the news today [...]
Shame on them! Is it so hard to ask for permission? If they are in the newspaper business, they should know how essential photos are and they should invest in getting/obtaining good photos. It’s not free, in the same way as their newspaper is not free either!
i have one print here…
u can also try to check sa panaynewsphilippines.com
sila yung mas suki ko sa nakawan .,.,
I hope everything works out well in your favor… I emailed them to let them know that what they did was wrong.
[...] since loads for the past few days have been intense due to traffic from the earlier posts about The News Today violates Photographers Copyright and The Visayan Daily Headlines Violates Copyright of [...]
Sue them Anton. It will serve them right. Grr.
[...] post info By Wacky M Categories: Uncategorized You can read the details here. [...]
[...] http://www.photo.net.ph/blogalicious/2009/01/27/the-news-today-violates-photographer-copyright-erase... [...]
Wow this is so infuriating! When will these people learn??? Sue their asses off!!!
To start it off, those copy cats do have the right to publish the photo! So annoying coz they are from the press pa talaga! kapal nila! Sue them my fellow photog anton! let them learn a lesson that they will never forget!
i say stop posting photos on the net! avoid the hassle.
thumbnail photos for sure…
You should sue them sir… pictures are the photographer’s soul… parang ninakawan ka ng kaluluwa nyan…
Do some legal action. Hire a reputable lawyer. Di kasi kikilos yan kung walang threat na mahahabla sila.
rot in hell thieves
Twice happened to me…Once in a company newsletter, and other on a website…The newsletter printed a short apology and printed the credit on a later issue after I threatened to sue and they received a disturbing call from my “lawyer”… not really a real “lawyer” hehe, but after they ignored my emails, I thought it was time to get dirty.
Kaya ngayon I just post low res versions online, or if really necessary, high res na tadtad ng watermarks. Bro, your signature is not “watermarked” that’s why it’s easy to clone out. If you have photoshop, make a big signature that covers most of the photo but drop opacity to around 10-25%…yun mahirap i-clone out and that’s what i send to prospective clients and upload on the net.
Wow, again????? Anton, I think you should have a full time copyright lawyer on retainer na. You need to start sending out violation of copyright letters.
Leo
Grabe! what kind of editorial team do they even have? I wouldn’t want to write for that kind of paper.
i love your photos, by the way. I’ll keep coming back.
would love 2 u head over to my site as well
Iniisip nila porket malaking company sila, gaganyanin nya tayong bloggers? well, buti nalang lumalaban din tayo!
It’s not good to generalize everything!
It’s me Mark Aranduque, contributor of The News Today (2008-09). I was an intern of YUHUM Magazine during that time. TNT Lifestyle Editor Kathy Villalon approached me to write for TNT Lifestyle.
Please provide an evidence that i contributed on Dinagyang 2009 Supplementary Issue, specifically on the articles you were referring to. What I know is I only covered the Iloilo Ms. Dinagyang ‘09 and not the tribe competitions. All photos I submitted were original. I got it through my digicam. So what’s your point of saying “MAHIYA KAYO” to me? I am not even employed in TNT. I wrote to learn something out of that experience. I just want to clear out my name. So please MAGALIT KA sa gumawa! ‘Wag mo namang idamay pangalan ko. OK? Thanks….learn to clarify first before saying something…LABAG DIN PO KASI SA BATAS ‘YAN! SINISIRA KASI NG ARTICLE MO ANG PANGALAN KO AS AN EMPLOYEE OF GMA-ILOILO!!! Thanks again………