See an example of project photo theft from LJN member website

You've built a garden you are proud of, you client is delighted and you gain many plaudits for garden's design and construction.

Of course, the natural thing to do it to post photos on your business website and show off the quality of your work to potential clients.

But what happens when someone copies your project photos and then posts them on their website and passes your work off as their own?

There's no real damage to your business but there's a moral and legal issue. First of all, anyone stealing photos are commenting copyright offences and secondly, and probably more importantly, anyone who's posted photos of work that they have not constructed is committing fraud.

Aura Landscapes are long-standing members of Landscape Juice. We've covered their work and interviewed managing director, Mike Warman.

Imagine my horror - let alone disgust - when I discovered one of Aura Landscape's projects on another landscaper's website, clearly being passed off as their own.

Here's Aura Landscape's genuine image:

Here is the ripped off image:

Replies

Keith Barker November 5, 2013 at 9:54pm

We use Digimarc digital watermarking on all the images on our site. If anyone tries passing our work off, it's very easy to prove it.
Paul McNulty November 5, 2013 at 10:07pm

Those images aren't of the same garden, so it's not one lifting another's pictures?

Nearly identical design, but that could be both of them copying a design from a brochure, or from each other. Can't see this as just copying images, two gardens have been built here.
PRO

Phil Voice November 5, 2013 at 10:09pm

Yes they are Paul...study both sets of images closely. Study the pot plants around the edges.

There's no doubt.

Paul McNulty said:

Those images aren't of the same garden, so it's not one lifting another's pictures?

Nearly identical design, but that could be both of them copying a design from a brochure, or from each other. Can't see this as just copying images, two gardens have been built here.
PRO

Mick Gammage November 5, 2013 at 10:40pm

Paul the patio of the image is from Aura who won a Marshalls national award this year, I was talking to Mike at the awards and this is for sure his patio design and has been taken from either his web site or from google images

what ever way you look at it the image is stolen because as soon as you publish anything on line you own the copyright, disregarding where you found the image you have to ask permission to use it on your own site otherwise its copyright infringement

try using an image from getty images with out permission and see what happens, they will jump on you with an invoice for £750 per image
Mike Warman November 5, 2013 at 10:42pm

I am utterly disgusted that someone would do this and also think this is ok. I will look into the watermarking of my images. And it is indeed our exact image not merely a copy of our design. Thanks Phil for raising this important issue and also making us aware. Very much appreciated.
Mike Warman November 5, 2013 at 10:44pm

Paul, this is my design and it also won runner up in the n
Marshalls national awards last year. I can guarantee this is not copied from a brochure! Outraged.

Paul McNulty said:
Those images aren't of the same garden, so it's not one lifting another's pictures?

Nearly identical design, but that could be both of them copying a design from a brochure, or from each other. Can't see this as just copying images, two gardens have been built here.
Matthew Crudgington November 6, 2013 at 12:33am

It's horrible to see this going on, especially after the whole Marcus thing. Please remember people this forum is about helping each other not trying to profit from it.
Richard Boyd November 6, 2013 at 1:04am

But image and IPR theft are common on the Internet. Everything thing I do gets copied...text, images, ideas...with no credit whatsoever.

Whilst I get Mike being pissed off and that the idiot using the images is a jerk off, this is common place on the Internet.

If you want to see how main stream this is use an app like TweetDeck and paste a phrase in and see the amounts of duplicates, it's extraordinary. But then look at the profiles behind this crap they are all wannabes, morons, spammers...who will get nowhere and move on to their next bit of idiocy, history will forget them and what they do will disappear.
Chris Auld November 6, 2013 at 7:08am

Phil have you contacted Dan about this?
PRO

Phil Voice November 6, 2013 at 7:25am

No Chris, but I think Mike will.

Chris Auld said:

Phil have you contacted Dan about this?