A Travel Blog filled with travel stories & a huge collection of travel photos taken from around the world, TravelerFolio is an award winning travelblog made in Singapore on April '08
April 11, 2009

Should I just laugh over it?

by eunice • 24 comments


Malaysia / Mersing ♡

Update: CASE CLOSED!

My mum saw it first. She showed me a travel article about Mersing published on Usearch Page 90, “优1周” U-Weekly issue no. 174 dated on 6 April 09, Singapore’s popular entertainment and lifestyle Chinese magazine. What caught her attention was this photo as shown below. Why? Cos she was wondering who could have taken it in front of her brother’s house. She asked if I (or my hubby) took it. That’s a kampong (village) and unless the author knows where my uncle stays. LOL!

An enlarge view of the “Stolen” photo scanned from the magazine.

Below is the “Stolen” Photo that is extracted from my older post on Mersing in Malaysia, dated back last year on 21 July 2008. (If interested, click here to view the post)

Check the details of the scanned “Stolen” photo with the original one above. Just look at the cloud! Both are the same! Well, it’s just an ordinary photo. Indeed, this “Stolen” photo belongs to us. And someone published it on U-Weekly magazine without our permission and no acknowledgment is given to this humble travel blog at all.

Now, let me show you my uncle’s house. And anyone who knows me personally should be able to tell that this is our car. :D Look at the red car parked at a distance in this picture. It’s the same car as shown in the “stolen” picture. We were standing somewhere in front of the house when the “stolen” picture was taken.

Usually, I get emails asking for my permission to use my photos for their projects, websites, etc, and since it’s not for commercial purposes, I just request for a link back to this travel blog. Pretty “standard” yeah. I am not a fussy person, really.

I don’t deny that it’s just a simple and small “stolen” picture published in the article. But what annoys us is that the author of this article on U-Weekly actually cropped away the watermark “Travelerfolio.com” on the bottom right of our photo and published it on her article, as if it now belongs to her and she uses it for commercial purpose. You can see that on the article page. On the top left, it is printed “Text + Photo” with her Chinese name next to the line. Er?? My photo now becomes hers?

What will you do if such thing happens to you?  I pay to host this website. It doesn’t come free.

I am waiting for a reply from this author before further action is taken.

23 Comments Leave your comment

  • Bakeling said on April 11, 2009 3:03 am

    My poor Eunice , I am so sad to know about this news !

    This “柯xx” is really brave enough just to type her name there after stealing your photo ! 她以为神不知，鬼不觉！but she did not know that ” 若要人不知，除非己莫为！”

    My goodness ! Don’t know which day this will happen to me ？

    She even cropped away your name even you print it there ! Unless you print your name in the middle of the photos *( but this will ruin the perfection of the photos ) !

    It happened to a blogger too. May be you can get some idea from her.

    ” Chef Al Rosas of Rosas Farm Steals Bloggers’ Pictures”

    Pls check this : http://www.rasamalaysia.com , @ february 2009 archives

  • Jasper Jugan said on April 11, 2009 7:10 am

    it happened to some bloggers here as well. you should press for it!

  • CK said on April 11, 2009 9:21 am

    This show that your blog is famous! Haha. Get some loyalty fees from the magazine. I think they should pay for your photo.

  • Cecil Lee said on April 11, 2009 10:58 am

    I’m sad to know that Eunice. You deserve an apology from her at least, published in their mag with your website address… :)
    This is our common worry with our photos published on blog. That’s why I swapped to Flickr at least we could control our copyright to protect our efforts being misused or commercialised without a single compliment.
    Anyway, it meant there is some significance to your photos! :)

  • Bridge said on April 11, 2009 1:56 pm

    This is called plagiarism. She stole your photo without credit on your name, worse without your given permission. I would suggest that you should first email her. Things can be solved through “amicable settlement”. Ask her why she did it and tell her not to do it again. If she has conscience, she will issue “public apology” on the paper she published it to, then never do it again.

  • Borneo Falcon said on April 11, 2009 2:56 pm

    I also worry one day my photos might be “stolen”. Keep us posted on the outcome. Should be interesting

  • Chee Wei said on April 11, 2009 4:49 pm

    hey eunice, yes i know its very unprofessional for an editor not to ask permission or even give credits for those photos. I can see that she just crop the bottom part of the photo off.

    Actually, I did think about putting the copyright sign off right in the middle with more transparent one but is noticeable. However, I think that will affect a little on the viewing experience.

    I guess its pretty hard though.

    What are your plans?

  • Pei Li said on April 11, 2009 8:39 pm

    http://creativecommons.org/international/sg/

    You should go get a license to protect your stuff. C:

    So next time you can directly sue them… if it ever has to come to that.

  • `JeromeFo said on April 11, 2009 9:03 pm

    Seeks for legal advice if you think is necessary
    Or write a formal letter to her

  • Wendy said on April 12, 2009 4:02 am

    Oh dear!!! Where’s her professional ethnics? She’s violating the intellectual property rights…

    So sad that such things happen to u.
    Has she reply you?

  • JH said on April 13, 2009 12:55 am

    I believe you have course for arbitration with the magazine first on how you would like to be mentioned/highlighted/compensated for the usage of the photo before taking legal action if necessary.

    I understand how you feel especially when people pinch my photos, don’t recognise my works and happily using it like it is their own work.

    Hope this would be resolved soon.

    JH
    http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv

  • Webbielady said on April 13, 2009 6:54 am

    Hmmm… that can be a criminal offense? Or civil? Well, I don’t have any idea. As you said, you are not fussy and I understand your frustrations about it… How dare they are…hmmm… how you happen to discover this?

  • ZARA 札拉 [사랑해~] said on April 13, 2009 8:47 am

    walao!!

    so rude!

    take somebody else photo and claimed that hers?!

    gosh!

    plagiarism!

  • kenwooi said on April 13, 2009 1:46 pm

    oh no! i’ll feel $%^&^% if that happens to me! lol no credits to the owner at all.. perhaps you should have watermarked the whole picture? haha..

    anyway, it’s indeed a nice picture.. =)

  • dong ho said on April 15, 2009 10:51 am

    yikes. they even removed your watermark in the picture. i believe if you’re in the publishing business, they know the policy of asking permission and acknowledging the photo owner. i hope that the magazine will send a response to this. i also know of a friend whose photo was also used in a newspaper without permission.

  • peteformation said on April 18, 2009 12:49 am

    Wah, magazine also curi people’s work ah! Don’t let them off the hook!

  • eunice said on April 18, 2009 2:25 am

    @ALL: Thanks for your concern! The editor called and apologised, and said they will compensate accordingly by doing another travel article with some photos extracted here and pay a fee. Will see and update you guys.

  • Sam said on April 19, 2009 12:30 am

    Hi Eunice,

    This is so sad that it happen to you. Why on the next article? They should pay on what they had already published. Besides it’s yours, right? If your mother didn’t notice it then you’ll never know that they got your pic.

    Anyway have a great weekend… Let’s have some positive energy.

  • Andre said on April 20, 2009 6:30 pm

    SUE THE NEWSPAPER!!!!!!! blady asses……..

    but then again….most people do it as well. You should place a disclaimer on your site stating that if you take my picture i will crack open your knee-kaps..

  • Beijinger said on April 20, 2009 8:26 pm

    It is good you have caught them, please update whatever the do as as compensation.

  • Asian Traveler said on April 28, 2009 1:10 am

    I’m sorry to hear that your photos have been plagiarized sis. I hope they will respond to you. Keep us posted on the outcome.

    By the way, please change my site from The Asian Traveler to An Asian Traveler. I lost my old custom domain. I have now my new web address http://www.anasiantraveler.com . I’m still in the process of modifying my blog. Thank you.

  • fine art artist said on July 6, 2009 5:25 am

    Rolling Eyes Here :) Great Sharing :P

  • felix hug said on May 26, 2010 6:40 pm

    Dont let them get away with it!! Its incredible how boldly local organizations steal intellectual property. Then again.. who is not watching the pirated movies in Thailand???

    I guess if we/they can we/they do it.

    rgds
    felix

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