Pixsy fights with photographers the battle against those who steal the pictures on the web
Publish or not to publish a photo?
It will happen to everyone to find their own photos stolen. If we usually use the web and especially social networks to promote our work as photographers or just to show to the world our images, we often wonder whether to continue to do so or not. We publish still in the awareness that the risk of seeing their own photos stolen by people who do not respect or do not even know the basic rules of copyright is always on the horizon. But it’s a shame not to take advantage of the most powerful tool that has been invented until now, to get in touch with the world, that is the web, we will be cut off from a part of people who will never see our work.
In some countries, the copyright law is only written on paper, in others it is something more concrete but it will still work to, in others it is still a hard and fast rule that must be respected.
Last year I stopped on a new service launched specifically to help photographers in the hard battle against those who use without authorization and for commercial purposes the photographs protected by copyright and never licensed: Pixsy.com
First I must say that the search engine integrated into Pixsy platform is incredible, far superior to any reverse image search engine. What does it mean?
We will simply tell Pixsy where to find our photographs: in the online portfolio that we have for example on our own web site, or on platforms 500px, Flickr, Flickr, PhotoDeck, Photoshelter, Tumblr, EyeEm, Instagram and SmugMug, or even on our Dropbox, Google Drive or uploading the files directly.
The site once cataloged your images will then scan the web. The results obtained will be many images regularly loaded by you, all the photos you have granted license to use, but you’ll often find your images unauthorized, and if this use is for commercial purposes, where the site gets a profit even through your photography, real chance to claim the copyright is taking shape.
The photo equipment is very expensive, in addition to what the economic effort for moving perhaps in faraway places, the study of light looking of the best moments when photographing, the hours of sleep lost, the effort to get the best angles, any made workshops to refine the technique and knowledge, all help to give value to your file that is not just a bunch of pixels behind a single click, is YOUR PICTURE and only you can decide how to use it, and whether to allow others to use it commercially usually behind a just compensation that you are or not professional photographers.
http://500px.com/photo/18129983
In the specific case happens that I find my picture taken in the Dolomites and used in another continent to promote travel packages in these beautiful mountains. Beyond that see my image used for this purpose I have made him proud and in time I thought “on thousands of photographs, just mine!” After a few minutes of reflection clicked on [$ submit case] key, because anyone here he was earning money behind me, thanks also to my image and not even contacted me.
Complete the following fields was very simple, the required information is very accurate but if you are the author of that shot, you will certainly not difficult to give all the details required.
The contacts with the person who took charge of the case were later very simple and friendly, before the request for some more specific information about the case, then followed all the updates on the development of the incident.
About a month ago I was informed of the availability of the counterpart to reach an agreement.
A few days ago by downloading the mail I find a Pixsy message, the text said:
“Dear Moreno,
Congratulations! We’re pleased to inform you that xxxxxxxxxxx has paid for the use of the photo, “Fresh Snow Over The Clouds“. Your royalties earned is USD x, xxx.xx. We’ll send payment via PayPal Within the next 30 days. “
Finally the just compensation for my work arrived, the Photographers Justice triumphed and without Pixsy this would never have happened, or at least not in such easy way! My profit will be enough for a nice family holiday, naturally to a new location to be photographed!
The payment arrived very quickly and now I know I can continue to post my pictures on the web!
For example on the 500px caption, I always add the words “Protected with Pisxy”, but if this were not enough to warn the “the thieves of the web” I know that in case of theft of any my own image, a good deal could be behind the angle!
Thanks Pixsy: http://www.pixsy.com/