News Stolen Photo 'wins' Photo Contest

Unfortunately, I don't have to worry about anyone benefiting from stealing my work! But I post reduced photos and if I think something's really good, I hold off. And if I think it's borderline good, I add a copyright notice to the "file info" in the forlorn hope that if someone is sloppy enough to steal, he/she's sloppy enough not to check the "file info."
The fellow in this article is a flagrant example of an intellectual thief, but too many people just don't seem to understand that if it isn't their work they should credit the "author." Even nice, decent people seem to have a blind side to this when it's on the web. In another group I'm a member of, someone justified posting someone else's work, when called out, by the argument "I assumed everyone would know I wasn't good enough to produce this." Facepalm!
As a side rant, Plagiarism is a problem everywhere. Maybe it's because I come from an academic family, but I just don't get it. I'd forgive my husband for cheating on me before I'd forgive plagiarism. Yet, I had a friend who was an English professor at the university level. He had students turn in papers with long passages where they had taken their source's work and just changed the vocabulary, leaving every thought intact. When he confronted them, they told him their coaches had told them that was the way to write papers.
 
I just read a blog entry by a woman who's photo (of her family, no less!) was stolen and used in a newspaper article, an article that she had serious issues with besides the stolen image. So are journalists trolling Flickr for images now that they've cut photography staff?! Argh.

I don't understand why Flickr thinks it is such a great idea to be able to post full resolution images. Seems they should be advising users to reduce and resize images to deter theft.
 
I just read a blog entry by a woman who's photo (of her family, no less!) was stolen and used in a newspaper article, an article that she had serious issues with besides the stolen image. So are journalists trolling Flickr for images now that they've cut photography staff?! Argh.

I don't understand why Flickr thinks it is such a great idea to be able to post full resolution images. Seems they should be advising users to reduce and resize images to deter theft.

Amen! Now and then someone's going to have something so outstanding they just have to share it at 100%, but for the most part, if it's going to viewed at 1024 pixels max side, why post megapixels more? So you actually use up your terabyte and buy more storage, maybe.

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Even at reduced resolution such as 800, 1024, 1600, etc an image is still very usable for someone who wants to use it without permission. Not as large prints obviously and they will probably be too small for anyone to enter them in competitions where the organisers want full resolution images, but still useful for websites, blogs, and small publications. If you want to keep control of the intellectual property of your images you need to stop people from finding and seeing them in the first place.
 
Its distressing but not stoppable. The only thing to do is to be recognised as the owner, first. (eg, I think anyone might have trouble stealing my fire shots, simply because they have been seen in a lot of places). I dont want my stuff stolen, but at the same time, apart from never posting it online anywhere, can't see really how its avoidable, *if* it happens to be good enough. I don't believe mine is. I dont have my stuff downloadable but that wont stop a determined thief.
 
If you set your Flickr account so that only you have access to the original files, I believe this prevents downloading. You can also set it so others cannot share via various social media. The only way they can get your pic then (unless they are a hacker) is to take a screenshot. I don't know what the resulting quality of the image would be. Not great, I don't think. But, yes, if they really want something, they will take it. I guess all we can do is try to make it a bit more work for the thieves.
 
Its distressing but not stoppable. The only thing to do is to be recognised as the owner, first. (eg, I think anyone might have trouble stealing my fire shots, simply because they have been seen in a lot of places). I dont want my stuff stolen, but at the same time, apart from never posting it online anywhere, can't see really how its avoidable, *if* it happens to be good enough. I don't believe mine is. I dont have my stuff downloadable but that wont stop a determined thief.

I hadn't noticed the no downloads feature. Thanks for pointing it out. But as you say, there's always risk.
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lest anyone get too comfortable thinking that their photos can't be downloaded from flickr if they disable downloads, please view this short video.
<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="//www.youtube.com/v/jIxi1yU2MSI?version=3&amp;hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="//www.youtube.com/v/jIxi1yU2MSI?version=3&amp;hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
 
I have noticed many photographers put their name or a copyright label in the images. I thought about doing this. But anyone with simple photoshop skill can remove those. I guess if I made a living as a photographer, I would be much more concerned about it.
 
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