See the photo they stole from our book cover: northrup.photo/?product=lr

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

Tony going full James Bond villain with the puppy. Just needs a hidden lair and diabolical plan.

Congratulations guys. These things are so slow and painful. Years ago someone ripped off my entire wedding photography website. Photo galleries, text, prices and layout too. They blamed their designers too! It took months to sort out and so much of my time. I think I ended up with about £1500 after costs etc... That was tiny compared to what you guys just dealt with so big high five for sticking with the stress. And like you said, all they needed to do was apologise and ask how we could sort out some arrangement. Thanks for sharing this with everyone and big respect for your followers who kept you informed... MIKE

Thank you for standing up against the injustice. It costs you a lot, I'm sure, but you're standing up for every creator in the world. If people know giving credit is a big deal, they will give credit or not use others content. People post my videos and pics of my videos all the time. It is the most frustrating thing because they rarely tag me to AT LEAST help me get more followers.

I wouldnt say everyone left unhappy. the lawyers were probably loving it

I wish my photography was good enough for someone to want to steal my photos.

I’m pretty much a nobody photographer but I have one particular panorama image of Nashville that pretty much went viral and almost everyone who was using it was without permission. I found a law firm out of California (Higbee & Associates) who doesn’t charge up front, they work on a contingency basis so you only pay a percentage of what they collect for you. They have settled $11,600 for me in the last 3-4 months and are still actively working 10 other cases for me. One company wouldn’t settle so they have started process to file in Federal Court. This is for a willful copyright infringement which by law could be up to $150,000 per image per use. The company used it on Facebook and their website. Tell them you heard about them from me. They will actually search your images for copyright infringement for you too so you don’t have to do anything.

Big thumbs up for putting the important parts of the story on the FRONT END of a 26+ minute video. It makes me feel like your videos are worth clicking on even if I don't have time or interest in the whole thing! Thanks!

Hey, I'm super impressed that you fought the good fight and even more impressed that you won. Much deserved. Great job!

Thanks for the video and insight. Just last week I was made aware that my face is on an ad on buses in Brazil lol. I didn't really think much of it and after hearing about your experience with lawyers I doubt I'd try taking any action 😂

Try doing this in China 😂

So the lesson learned hear: don't be a photographer but become a lawyer :-)

Hey! I tweeted you about this from New Zealand too! Glad it was resolved! EDIT: just saw my Tweet!

It is drilled into us in Australia not to admit fault when it comes to legal matters; everything from corporate issues to having a car crash. This includes "don't apologise", as we're commonly told an apology can be construed as an admission of guilt. So there's no way that company would have written "sorry, we're so embarrassed we made this mistake" in their response to you, because their insurers would have had a pink fit at them. It sucks that they continually lied to you, though. People like them who have no sense of shame are the toughest to deal with, as all they recognise is power. You did well to eke what you did out of this dodgy mob. Sorry that my fellow countrymen caused you so much stress. Thanks for fighting them too, as now there is one additional bunch of Australians who have a newfound respect for photographer's copyright. Or at least, they have a newfound motivation to avoid the pain of being caught out for breaching copyright.

Please, somebody steal one of my pictures, I need a bigger flat

Interesting story. In 2007 I shot a new band for their myspace promos and flyers. It was a verbal agreement arranged by a mutual friend. They used one specific photo as their logo. (It was altered a bit) Well, they completely blew up and went international. After many attempts to contact the artist, I had to reach out to their management. A few phone calls and emails later, they asked what was my price. I gave them a price and we settled for 60% of it. This didn’t involve any lawyers. Their first counter offer was that they’d hire me to shoot their second album cover.

That's the world of lawyers, not set up for the client but the "pros". The other side is that if no one ever pushes back on this kind of theft, it doesn't give any incentive to the other side to not steal in the first place. Thank you for all the rest of us for fighting the battle even though it was stressful.

What I love about you two is how much you seem to respect one another. You don't compete for "air" time or throw the other under the bus to prove your points, etc. Glad you got some compensation for this blatant disregard for your rights.

I mostly shoot street scenes, mostly in the city I live in (obviously), I also work for the city council of that city. About 15 years ago the marketing department produced a mousemat to use as a give way at events promoting the city to businesses that featured a single picture of one of the main squares at night. A stack of these mousemats appeared in our office to be used at an event, and I recognised the photo. I dug through my Photobucket album and sure enough, it was my photo. I raised this with my manager who first said it must just be a similar photo but I was able to show it exactly the same as my photo, I even brought in the negative and original print I'd scanned. When challenged Marketing just sad they had gotten the picture from Corporate Communications who admitted they had gotten it from my Photobucket but then came back with "You're not a professional photographer, copyright only protects work by professionals". I sent them the relevant legislation, copied in the Head of Legal, to prove that anyone could have copyright protections, not just professionals. Then they claimed that if it was on the internet it was in the public domain, before I could respond to them the Head of Legal told them to stop talking such rubbish. I then met with them with the Head of Legal and they opened with that since I worked for the council any images I produced belonged to the council (basically 'work for hire'). I pointed out that these were images that I had taken in my own time and as I was not employed as a photographer they had no claim on the images I produced at all. Eventually, we just agreed that I would grant the council a one time, non-exclusive, license to use the image (and a couple of others they were including in a leaflet they were producing as part of the same campaign) as long as they credited me and included my email address.

I had a photo stolen off of DPChallange a few years ago, but I was so flattered that someone liked my photo enough to want to steal it, that I wasn't inclined to "go after" them. After a little research I found that it was a little ma/pa organization that made affirmation posters and I asked them to put a credit line on their website and to be more careful and ask first in the future, which they agreed to with many "I'm so sorry"'s thrown in. But then again this is my hobby, not my living :-)

I'm glad you pursued this and that you ended up with something even after the lawyers had taken their cut - the principle is priceless. When I lived in New Zealand I was stunned by the blatant ripping-off of brands, especially food products in the supermarkets. I got the impression people thought anything was up for grabs because they were so distant from the rest of the World, and no-one would notice or be bothered to follow-up. In a semi-related incident, a designer there re-used an entire layout I'd designed without even asking and thought that was perfectly reasonable. It's an attitude difference. No worries, mate, right?.

So glad you where able to fight this. I bet many can't unfortunately due to the costs involved. Can't stand thieves so well done. Justice is served.

both of them are laughing but deep inside the anger and the hate is still boiling.

I spent over a month having my art removed from someones store on eBay. They made a nice profit from my work , I never received a dime for it. Not a single penny. The fact they made money off of my work disgusted me to the point that for years I stopped creating my art. NOT PHOTOGRAPHY , ART and I wasn't the only artist they stole from. For me , it was the other way around. I'm Australian and had to fight against an American. Sure the laws are different , but copyright infringement is the same in both countries.

It sucks, but I'm glad you didn't just roll over. The next photographer who does get paid because their image wasn't stolen owes you a debt.

As a US patent and trademark attorney, (and photography enthusiast who represents many photo-gear clients), this is a great story about the murky world of intellectual property misappropriation. Congrats Chelsea and Tony! A great story every pro photog should acquaint themselves with.

These people aren't just stealing a picture, their stealing your time out of your life, money for the lawyer, and the work you did. All they did is copy and paste while you have to suffer. Sue the hell out of em.

I liked this video, but as someone who works in the legal field I wish you had talked more about statutory damages pursuant to copyright law in the US and why it's important to register your work. Also, how the Berne Convention might apply in this situation and whether the statutory damages are applicable internationally. The statutory damages make a huge difference in the US because you don't have to prove the value of the damage from the misappropriation. Additionally, registration prior to infringement (or within 90 days of it) entitles you to attorney's fees when you prevail on a copyright action.

I love seeing people defend their rights and scumbags not getting away scot-free with this kind of thing, which happens way too often. Way to go guys!

Their scumminess increased as the tale went on, but way back at the beginning where you were incredulous they brought a lawyer in, I was thinking that the thing I would do in their shoes is bring a lawyer in. If I found out I had been screwed by my graphics company and put stolen art on a product I was selling, and was contacted by the owner of the art my first thought would be to call a lawyer and find out what the heck to do. And no lawyer is going to say "You should talk to them yourself."

Yeah, nobody ends up happy except the lawyers.

Thanks so much of taking this on. As a relatively high profile case, you are doing something good for the industry. Cudos.

Australian copyright law is very clear cut about this so there is no defence. Picking a legal firm would have been more beneficial had you contacted a professional photographic organisation such as the AIPP first for guidance. I would have thought taking the matter to court would have the end result of you being awarded costs because they broke the law so your net return would have been higher.

At least you have set a precedent, now. If anyone else does it, you can show you are prepared to go to law across jurisdictions. That will almost certainly make people compliant.

Had some random lady crop a digital painting I had made and pass it off as her own. Caught her telling other people off for using it as part of their own artworks (which I had previously approved) and she got all snippy with me when I contacted her. She did end up taking "her" cropped version down and I still see my original floating around from time to time, signature still intact. That's just super fun though. I shared it openly and people appreciated that. I only had an issue with this one lady that claimed it was hers. No drama besides that so I can't say I've had a "problem" with it.

Thank you so much guys for 1) sticking to your principles and seeing this through and 2) being so forthright and honest about it all. You're awesome.

You forgot to add the 59k YT views and the 2.7k likes to the positive column of this event. Congratulations for winning and, most of all, finally having it behind you!!!

Talks about miss-selling products, then proceeds to make a number up of $60k when they got $7.5k? Great message guys

I don't think you lost. I think you won "more" then you think. 1- You made near 8000$ ( good for vacation or new equipement gear ). 2- You made a new video which brought 476 000 viewers attention ( + monetization ) + extra promotion on your stuf + extra view time for your youtube channel 3- You sent a "clear" message to all those who will try to illegally steal picture from hardworking photographers around the world 4- You stood up against "evil" and did know kneel down to "thieves". 5- You are more then photographers, you are "Heroes" and people know it as they helped you took pictures all the way from Australia for you guys to win your case ( Even my own family wouldn't take a picture of a bathroom toilet boil if I asked them too on my dying bed ). So technically, you have won "more" then money. You have won our "Respect". Cheers.

Wow, that photo shows how much an illusion makeup and lighting can make.

Check the fine print in the settlement papers: Do you still retain the copyright to your photo, or did you relinquish any rights to your photo when you agreed to accept the "settlement"? Nightmare scenario would be if you discovered that you are unable to use your own photo on future international sales on your book.

Wow.....I'm sure that was stressful and exhausting. It's unfortunate how some folks do not respect photographers and their work. I'm glad you were able to "resolve" that situation and move on. Thanks for sharing and educating us on some of these unforseen scenarios.

It's beautiful to see brother and sister work together

19:58 Aw man. I don't even. Still, though. This was an incredibly satisfying case. Had the offending party acted more honest, I would have more sympathy for them. But the way they cheated and cowered and lied over and over just makes this delicious. Poetic cheesecake.

Good points. I was involved in a lawsuit that resulted from an accident my daughter was in (not her fault). Took 2 YEARS in the "fast track". We won and got a small amount, but it was a pain in the a$$. It's never fun, but in the end it's PRINCIPLE! If you don't call them out they will never learn and they will do this to others. Good for you for taking the high road and not giving in.

As a graphic designer the first thing we were taught day 1 is that you don’t steal photos. And this was before google existed. I’m so offended to hear this happened that way, and I’d have to question the validity of the ‘designer’. I’m so glad to hear you stuck with it and saw it through.

$20,000 for a case that never went to court? You were had.

10:03 Another thing that makes Australian attorneys more difficult to work with is that they demand that payment be in the form of beer, knoives, galas, and didgeridoos. #everydayracism

They still have those photos on their website. When you press on featured products there it still is. An iPhone 6/6S with Chelsea's photo on it.

I had a very similar situation happen 4 years back, I don’t normally do sports events as a commercial photographer but I had an interesting opportunity to cover a world speedway championships on behalf of British cycling. I did the event as a favour, in exchange the photos would be paid for by the sponsors for use in advertising. I completed my shoot, sent low res files to each of the sponsors along with instructions for contacting me with any requests for use of high res images and pricing. All company’s were a breeze to deal with and their marketing departments generally knew the procedure. However an engineering company based in the UK (ironically sponsoring an Australian rider) had taken the low res files, put them on social media, online advertising, their website and on the riders sponsored ads. Having waited a few months to settle up with everyone I started looking into the engineering firms online presence and saw my images everywhere. I contacted them saying (in summary) I’m glad you liked the images I sent over a few months ago, would you mind paying for them as agreed? No response for a further three months, it wasn’t until I threatened legal action that they responded claiming that they didn’t know they’d done anything wrong. I know my emails had been going to the right place however for the whole period because the company directors rather stupidly had direct email addresses listed on LinkedIn, they had been cc’d in on every email. The director who responded claimed that his web developers and marketing team had used the images and he was not aware they had not been paid for. Again I said that’s fine, it’s an honest mistake here’s an invoice including usage rights. He then tried to haggle on the prices I had agreed in my original email! At that point I lost patience and mentioned litigation again. He replied with one word “paid” and I’ve not heard from them again. Of course I didn’t want to take him to court but the threat of litigation was the only way I could move forward. It was a matter of principal and even worse an already agreed price they thought they could get away without paying.

Kinda false advertising on the case manufacture part too. So glad you guys won the case. Worth it!

Glad you won the case.. I totally agree to try to keep lawyers out of it however given that sending any admission of guilt on the companies fault they choose to protect themselves for fearing of that acknowledgement being used against them... it's more than likely their lawyer advised them when they needed advice. Standard procedure in a lot of corporations these days.. The International rights and laws like you mentioned could have also dictated the legal response instead of a personal one. Considering that they already had a high margin product on the shelves already.. they were already heavily invested in it which means they were trying to figure out a way to minimize the loss. It's possible they feared an even bigger financial loss. Bringing manufactured products to market is extremely expensive business. I will say that this is the reason the legal system exists in the first place is to solve disputes however Tony and Chelsea were clearly in the right here and the other company not at all. I'm guessing that designer got fired or was sued as well. They should have at least considered sending a personal reply and worked out a deal first before getting lawyers involved however its a hard place to negotiate if the image was already on the product on the shelf. I worked for a video game company that actually shut down due to losing a lawsuit after it spun out of control (even though it shouldn't have - they had more lawyers and a bigger budget).. i am well aware of the consequences that can affect peoples lives and the Information Technology hell that ensues when a company is in a lawsuit. I am still feeling the affects of that outcome today. Legal advice is good but avoid lawsuits where possible or only as a last resort!

Tony, while you may have had to pay taxes on the settlement, the legal costs are/were deductible from you taxes as a business expense.

An "honest mistake" is getting a pint-sized dog and not a cat, but no one's perfect.

Congrats on your victory, I am currently going through an infringement case with a one-time client and they will be served this week after eighteen months of going back and forth. I registered the images on the day I sent the proof sheets and my paperwork states the proofs are for image review only, no license granted. Their initial settlement offer was $1K and after 18 months, their last offer was $20K which is a fraction of my offer for their willful infringement. At this point, I will let the Court determine the value of the nine images that were used in three instances. Yes, it is painful to go through but my Attorney will get a percentage of the settlement/judgement.

As far as i know (and from my personal experience) here in Germany layers (both sides) gets paid from side who loses the case. It seems logical.

wow I'm tired just from listening to it, there is a reason Lawyers have there reputation and are called sharks, but what really sucks is photos get stolen all the time, and because it is so hard for people to do anything about it, the people who are steeling them usually get away with it, so I am happy that you guys were actually able to do something, but I was thinking that since this company said they took them out of the stores even though they didn't, whats to stop them from making even more of them, and they probably also lied about how many they made in the first place, I know a model who's picture was stolen by a dating sight, it's used to make people believe there are girls like her on the dating sight, and she hasn't been able to get the company to stop using the image, and I think at this point she has just given up, personally I don't believe that this company didn't know in advance that they didn't have the right to use this photo, they just thought because it was in another country that they would get away with it, and in most cases they would have, did you ever get to see the actual phone case ? you should of told them that they had to ship all the remaining cases to you

You did a great service to ALL photographers by following this to the bitter end.. THANK YOU! This video should be a "must see" for all photographers AND users of intellectual property. It educates those who genuinely don't know, and is a warning to those who don't care!

Earlier this week I discovered that a guy who works for Rotolight in the UK as a technical adviser and who runs workshops promoting Rotolight products was using one of my portraits taken with Godox flash to promote his portrait workshop using Rotolight products and without my consent or permission. Remembering watching this video I knew there was little point in taking him to Court and instead I named and shamed across various groups and friends shared it, I'm an amateur so no business loss. Rotolight responded saying this particular workshop was a 'private' one and nothing to do with them, even though he was promoting their equipment. They also said he thought my work was from another photographer he had permission from. As it was downloaded from my account on Purpleport which he was then a member of, I know it was impossible for him to accidentally download it, edit it, crop it and use it in Facebook and web adverts. These are the screenshots and the post which it appears Rotolight or someone with an interest, have been pressuring Groups to take down. this is on my own Fb - facebook.com/BostonPhotoUK/posts/960019737524129?__xts__[0]=68.ARBZde2YYm9Hn9Gdp6oerqYk8FitU8MSwkE1LhYHxAY4ZsnuwEx-8gFrnUGa73i8i8Qwd-Ygejr171mE1xYBJQ2EImmPdG80snuxoqhQRHR1IHoz7M6WN4Aoqt20wTQV5jfOTBPUZkgHkSCpXupjYZsQ4tEhTMNg2xELNKeQeH0sH0RXoO4L&__tn__=-R

Great vid and outcome guys. I’ve been going through the same thing for the last couple years, working with pixsy. Hundreds of cases. Theft is the absolute norm in business, period. The process is insanely long and the legal cut is huge but it’s the principle to me in the end.

Moral of this video: Do not anger Tony and Chelsea

$60,000 could bankrupt a small business. But at the end of the day the lawyers are winners

I would definitely sue for copy right infringement no body has the right to use other peoples photos without written permission.

Oh the old "external graphic designer" thing. I live in Australia and have rung design firms when I recognise they have ripped off other firms work. In one case a church used the application logo of a very well known macOS code editor (Coda, it was a big deal once, made by Panic software and IIRC logo designed by Icon Factory). The "external designer" they commissioned said it was vector art they bought in a clip art collection, which was obviously bullshit because it wasn't even a vector illustration, it was heavily 'shopped which the makers of Coda, Panic confirmed with me. I didn't think is was very wholesome or ethical to be lying to a Church organisation. Other times the firm says oh we had a temp designer with us who did that. Again pretty suspicious explanation, and abdicating responsibility.

In Bulgaria when someone win a lawsuit he can file a new one for making the other side pay his lawyer fees. And usually wins again.

I'm so glad I live in a country where photographs aren't protected by copyright unless they're used for artistic purposes or an invasion of privacy.

i can speak from experience. most lawyers are useless. congratulation on the win.

A Professional Graphic Designer won't do that. It's a crime. Bring shame to Graphic Design Profession.

Sue the lawyers for being scummy

I'm not a lawyer. Haven't even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. But my understanding is, for U.S. copyright law, if you REGISTER your copyright, you can sue for legal fees also. And registering a copyright isn't all that hard. Don't know how this is impacted by the international aspect though. Kudos to Tony and Chelsea for taking a stand. When you protect your rights as photographers, you take a step toward protecting the rights of all photographers.

at 20:30, my neighbor is a divorce lawyer. His client had 2 lawyers and the wife at 2 lawyers. They argued for an hour over their VHS Movie collection (1980's and it was extensive). My neighbor finally said STOP! You two have argued for an hour, and I know my bill rate and I know my partner's bill rate...and I'm sure your lawyer's bill rate is similar. In the time you've spent arguing, you could have re-purchased the entire collect and labeled each tape in gold, His and Hers. They finally shut up.

Wow, I thought that product was sold by you. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I have seen for sale it in the airport duty free shop in Singapore and recently seen them for sale in shops in Vietnam.

If you start with a lawyer, then they dig their heels in because they earn with others misfortunes. Suppose your first email didn't demand the breakdown, instead if you had written a commercial proposal, let say something like: You are using my product without my permission hence I suggest you should agree with me to a value of its worth asap. Please forward your suggestion for me to determine whether or not to accept your offer. Their response could be debunked with your email requesting the list you sent out in the first place. I think you may have confused the owner to think you want to fight. Hence he/she may have panicked and they went to a law firm. I agree 100% - avoid lawyers by all alternative means. Once they are involved, they focus on your wallet no matter how much you try to hide it. They are the smartest pick-pockets around, because they don't get caught.

BRAVO!! I am just a photo-hobbyist but work in an industry that zealously protects any IP that comes out of product development - copyrights, trademarks, patents. Too often we see people reverse-engineering and selling things that are obvious rip-offs. Unfortunately all too often in China. All I can say is it does my heart good to see you following-through! (and maybe, just maybe I'll have images that are marketable to people other than my mother or used to document my work) KEEP up the good fight and make it obvious! (and thanks so much for helping me get comfy with my D850 before I take it underwater)

Wow, this whole story is extremely infuriating. All that work, the creative design, the idea, the setup, the gear, the time, the experience... And all it takes for someone to take it is literally just a right-click... And it's not a lampstand or something, it's a person's face for heaven's sake, it belongs to somebody... How can someone be so unethical, as a graphic designer, no less? Lucky though that Tony had some previous exposure to these procedures and kept pushing. A lot of people would have been intimidated, I bet. It's not about the final amount, but still... It's a pro shot, I think you would have deserved every cent of that $40k. Thanks for sharing what you went through - it's a great lesson to all of us.

jesus that pie chart is crazy, if leeches could become a human being, they would be lawyers

Tony the lawyer/ photographer /dog lover

I know a graphic designer here in New Jersey who finds his work stolen all the time. It's almost always the case that some small business client hired a designer online, usually from Fiverr and they stole my friends work to resell as their own, to the small business client

They say it’s been so cold in NY this winter that even the lawyers are seen walking with their hands in their own pockets.

If you put photos on the web, they'll be stolen. I used to have a site with photos. Using Google, I was able to find many of them copied. Some multiple times. Nothing appeared to be used in a product.

and this is why I use Public Domain/CC0 photographs in my memes.

Well done. Tenacity, resilience and fantastic public support brought the thieves to justice.

You can still buy the case with Chelsea's photo online on several Australian & NZ websites.

Hell yeah, Tony Northrup uses the Oxford comma!

Have you ever had one of your photos stolen? Share your story!

Just stumbled on this video. Wow international copyright. I was the photographer on the movie “Bring It On”. Universal did a similar issue with 27 of my images from the movie published a book. Their usage was for marketing and PR not product. We went round and round for a few months. Finally I said settle today or the copyright fees will go up substantially when I contact my attorney. They ended up settling for my original request. But it sucks to have be an attorney as well as an artist. Good job on the video.

Thanks for the video. I had to sue a newspaper for using one of my photos beyond our agreed upon usage rights. They sold my photo to a third party for advertising and did not compensate me. I wound up settling with them for less than I wanted and the process was a hassle and a headache. But I think I would do it again if I had to. EVERY photographer should take a basic business law course, like at a junior college night school as i did. Understanding contracts, litigation and damages plus things like fraud are extremely useful things to know. They should teach that kind of stuff to everyone in high school.

Thank you for sharing your story

Surely your money shouldn't being paying for their lawyers too right?

I don't know about Aus. and NZ, but here in America, there are literally dozens of jokes about lawyers.

I've been a part-time pro photographer for over 40 years. I only experienced problems with photo theft after the advent of the web. Between 1978 and 1987 I've taken massive amounts of pictures in the USA, Canada, Asia, Europe and Australia. In the mid-90s, I put three photos up on my personal website. Fishing boats on the shore near Lisbon, Portugal. i had received an award for these photos in the mid-80s. I had been doing a Google search on Portugal when I found that the photos appeared on a Portuguese-language website promoting tourism in Portugal. I sent an email to the website, but didn't hear back. I let it go, since the effort would involve international communication, and possibly a lawyer, and maybe a lot getting lost in translation. In another case, our local school district used a photo on their website that I'd taken Downtown. They removed it immediately when I asked them to take it down, and we parted as friends.

Glad it worked out in your favor.

I work in print and I see stolen stock photos with water marks on them more often than I would like while prepping files in prepress, also designers suckkkkkkkk at designing things for print in general 🤦🏻‍♀️ they forget bleeds, art is rgb and images are 72dpi stolen from the web, files weren’t packaged for print the list goes on.... Lol but yes I see sooooo much water mark art come through our shop and I just think it’s because either the designer forgot or didn’t know any better but seriously 😒 designers need to step it up a notch because I’m really not impressed by their lack of being able to do their job correctly. Also I’m thankful to have started my career in print as its making me a stronger more versatile graphic designer 👩‍🎨 the skills I am learning here everyday are invaluable 😊

It might have been a painful process but it means that companies will think twice about stealing photos in the future .

I had a similar experience when an image of mine was used on over 250,000 phone books and DVDs. I couldn't afford or find an experienced copyright attorney, then settling for one who failed so badly that I had no choice but to drop the suit, feeling lucky I didn't pay for the attorney's apathy.

Great iPhone case I have just ordered one.

An honest mistake is an honest mistake, but when you ask someone to take the stolen picture down and they don't comply (as seen by the people who took snapshots of the products with the photo still selling), that's not a mistake anymore! Good for you that you didn't give up on this! Oh, and don't be sorry to lawyers, they are just straight up thieves, nothing more nothing less, almost like insurance company's. Sadly enough, you need them. But if i look at your chart that you make, i'm sorry but i can't say anything else but THIEF! And of course, no one wants a lawsuit, it's not good for any of the people involved. Sadly, sometimes there is no other way.

I used to be the IT Manager at a hotel in Savannah, GA. Several years ago the GM came to me and asked if I could completely revamp our aging website. One of the things I did was take pictures of the outside of the hotel. Specifically, one of the photos I used on the website was on the hotel entrance and signage. Several months after the website went live, I received both an email and a phone call from a local photographer DEMANDING I take down "his" photo off our website and printed material (the same photo was used on brochures for the hotel and other marketing). After having to prove that this was a photo I myself took, he then claimed that it was "in effect" the same photo as it was the same subject matter and angle. It actually went to court (he took to me to court for using a photo I took on my equipment because it was the same subject matter as one he was selling in his gallery [?]). Needless to say, once the judge saw both photos he all but laughed him out of court. (No, I did not engage the services of an attorney. The differences in photos was blatantly obvious.) Yur attorneys pretty much just went through the motions. As you were in the US and they were in Australia, the attorneys there was no way in hell that you were going to show up at their office wanting updates. What a bunch of ripoff artists. I'm sorry you had to go through all of that.

This is exactly why people/companies just steal images... because the stress and work you have to put into the legal proceedings is such a strong deterrent for creators.