[aridbud]

Bummer for sure. Most people think if they post pics on the internet, it's gratis for those to take.

[Skip]

Here's how it works...
If you post it up on ICmag, we have a limited copyright to use it on our sites and related use.

If you post it up in an online contest, attempting to win a prize, then you've pretty much granted that company use of your image in their marketing efforts.

Aside from that, if anyone posts up your original image without attribution and a link, the first thing you do, BEFORE YOU COMPLAIN publicly about the "affront" to your dignity or whatever, you contact the company/individual who posted it and you request a "takedown". The copyright abuser gets a few days to comply before you can take any action against them.

Obviously a "webmaster" like me needed to fill some data holes with images, and did a search for them, or the images were part of a contest or grow sponsored by the company, who now has permission to use them.

I'd say it's bad form to diss a company in public, esp if you haven't even contacted them first. Seedsman has reps right here on ICMag if you have an issue with them.

Since the images are on Seedsman's website, they are easily replaced/removed.

Since the images are also posted here on ICMag, we can help you enforce your copyright!

Seedsman should ask permission to use images.

They do not have the right to take any image from ICMag unless they've clearly said they would for a contest/grow whatever...

BTW, most breeders have no problem with vendors using their images, so long as they are profiting from it too.

[NewAgeGenetics]

same shit happened with me many times while the years! very annoying, because they don't pay shit for the pictures and act like a b' when you say them that wtf.

its not correct business manner to steal pictures and use them for their own marketing purposes.

[Skip]

Originally Posted by NewAgeGenetics

same shit happened with me many times while the years! very annoying, because they don't pay shit for the pictures and act like a b' when you say them that wtf.

its not correct business manner to steal pictures and use them for their own marketing purposes.

Again, if the images were posted on ICmag, we can help you enforce your copyrights.

[ecsd]

The big issue is the misrepresentation of genetics, if the pics are zamal, and not K1, whats that say about their business ethics.
Just my .02

[Robney]

Hey Mustafunk, what was the high like on those zamal keepers?

[Americangrower]

I would just contact them about it and hopefully they send you some free seeds. Win win for everyone

[Mustafunk]

Originally Posted by Weird

if they where posted here in his forum it may be assumed he gets to use them for advertisement

How does that make any sense if actually my pictures were from Gypsy Nirvana's GN Collection Zamal and not even the strain Seedsman pretends to advertise with them (K1 from French Touch Seeds)? Neither they were posted at their forum, so kinda ridiculous IMHO.

And even if the pics are shared online on a forum, the author should always have the latest word unless stated otherwise.

Anyway, asking for permission is free and much nicer than finding out someone actually stole them and is using them for commercial purposes without your blessing lol...

It happens often nowadays though, but that doesn't make it any better or more legitimate.

[Skip]

On some of these commercial websites, the public can post images too. So there's a possibility it wasn't a Seedsman staffer who posted up the image. Seeing how there are several images, in different settings, this is likely the case. I see they allow reviews, so it's quite possible that's where they came from.

So that's why you ask for a "takedown". We get those requests occasionally when someone takes a pic from a commercial website and posts it here (or any site I deal with). It's almost always just a third party trying to be helpful.

Often the copyright holder just wants attribution, not public disgracing, not money, not a lawsuit.

If the copyright violation involves an attack on a person or biz, then they usually want a takedown.

We comply with every request unless it's not legitimate.

And we require proof of copyright before we takedown anything.

How do you prove copyright? By having published it. That's the easiest way.

So post up your image here, and it's automatically copyrighted (by you).

Of course keep your original hi-rez image to back it up.

Originally Posted by Mustafunk

How does that make any sense if actually my pictures were from Gypsy Nirvana's GN Collection Zamal and not even the strain Seedsman pretends to advertise with them (K1 from French Touch Seeds)? Neither they were posted at their forum, so kinda ridiculous IMHO.

And even if the pics are shared online on a forum, the author should always have the latest word unless stated otherwise.

Anyway, asking for permission is free and much nicer than finding out someone actually stole them and is using them for commercial purposes without your blessing lol...

It happens often nowadays though, but that doesn't make it any better or more legitimate.

[J TricH]

Originally Posted by Mustafunk

A friend of mine just told me that Seedsman was featuring our pictures at their website, I was pretty amazed about it and suggested it may be a mistake, but after checking that for myself I've realized that not only my pics were stolen, but also some pics from my friend Truhan, for advertising the K1 seeds from French Touch:

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https://www.seedsman.com/en/k1-kalit...re=seedsman_es

Since I've realized about the FTS watermarks over my pics I've also double checked on French Touch Seeds own website to make sure about who was the one actually stealing and using those pics without permission, to my surprise FTS weren't even using them there... so that made clear it was Seedsman the ultimate responsible of that unauthorized use. I think the con move wasn't really worth it IMHO.

Neither Truhan or myself were asked for permission to use any of our pictures commercially or for advertising, and given the fact that Seedsman is not actually an NGO but a big company making lots of money, it should have had more consideration for other people's work and long tiem members of the community they recently became part of.

Actually I'm sure that if Seedsman would have asked about using the pics before, both Truhan and myself could have reached a friendly agreement with them, without any problem at all. But this is not the way to deal with it.

Next time I won't post anything online but directly speak with a lawyer and sue Seedsman for that reason, making sure they pay for the copyright infringement costs and full commercial use and image licensing for the given pictures, given the fact that I work as a photographer and I know a bit of my rights, copyright wise.

Worst thing wasn't the picture thievery itself, but the fact that Seedsman is actually using the wrong pics, since my pics came from a different cultivar that has nothing to do with the seeds they are selling, so it's actually misleading for customers as well.

In my opinion this also makes clear the fact that Seedsman used fake pictures blatantly and took the time to look for the right images that matched or looked similar enough to the K1 strain in order to advertising their seeds at their website.

This was the case of my Zamal keeper pictures:

View Image

View Image

Which actually looked similar to the ones that were nicked from my good fella Truhan as well:

View Image

View Image

Definitely not a good start for Seedsman on the ICMAG community IMHO.

P.S: Always use watermarks!

Regards.

Hi to all... First I must say that Seedsman works only with his own material for his own strains (most is my own stuff), if at any moment we use photos from the forums, I always ask PM to the person even if he is participating in our contest, so I do in other forums, from ICMAG even I have not used any., The photos that we show from the external breeders, are photos provided by those same breeders. Anyway I am going to ask our master the origin of those photos. Soon return with an official response.