Hi, did anyone ever experience that you see an approved picture here at 1x.com, that is so similar to one of yours that it doesn't feel right?

Kind regards,

Wieteke

yes, even today.

 

It may happen. It might just annoying as the other picture gets more attention because the photographer has more prominence on this site.

But what do you do about it? For me creativity is the most important part of a photo. What if they copy your ideas? Last week some one here at 1x had a photo approved that was almost similar to one of mine. That's not OK. One can say that it is coincidence that that person made the same studio composition as I did and used the same lighting. But how big is that chance? For a picture of a famous building it is possible (but also very unlikely), but with my kind of pictures... I did report it to 1x, but although they said it is not OK, they don't do anything about it.

 

It is always difficult to determine whether someone has copied your idea. In the past, an idea copied from me and was even used in a photography school as a teaching subject. I took it as a compliment considered that others have used my idea. I understand your disappointment but fear only that there is little to do about it.

Maybe an idea to put your picture and the copy as link in the critique section and see what others think about this.

 

and what I said ... I understand the disappointment.

Have you tried discussing it with the member in question? If his intentions weren't to copy you, he should apologize, and credit your work as inspiration for the image or even take it down if possible. If he ignores you or reacts in a hostile manner I would imagine there are legal actions you could take to resolve the issue.

I'm a bit surprised 1x hasn't done anything about it. Care to post links to the 2 images?

I can understand your concern but there is no such thing like a copy protection of your ideas or your style. Of course you could try to patent your photo idea but i doubt that such will work.

 

Of course it feels not right if someone copy your idea but you cannot avoid such things and there is even no law against this as long as you have produced each single part on your own. For example, if i take an idea and just copy a picture idea and then make it better it is my success and not the one who thinks or complain i just copy his idea.

 

This copy and make better systematic is happen every day and in a really huge measure which you cannot imagine. I think that almost all products for technology in China are made like this. Its smart in one way but also bad in another but at the end there are no laws who prevent such thing.

Try to make things easier for you thinking that imitation is the best form of flattery.

I know it's hard to swallow, but it should be a good moment to think someone liked your work enough to try and replicate it.

I see a lot of pictures that are similar from either being old successful images, or new ideas that are easy to replicate. The only way I know of to prevent replication of an idea is to register it. The other way is to be well known on an international level for that idea that others would just know when they see an image not by that artists then its a replication.

 

Its the blessing and the curse of the internet.

I think you guys are all right; there is nothing you can do about it and to feel better you should see it as a compliment. I also think it is really hard to protect your ideas. Internet is indeed a blessing. It is the choice to reach a large group of people through the internet with risk that people copy ideas. Next question can be, how do you take care that people recognize that is picture is yours?

If any info I post is wrong I hope it gets corrected by someone but as far as I know:

 

Don't upload "raw" formats

Copyright info embedded in the photo

Watermark - might help or ruins a photo, take your pick

Copy your images onto a CD and have them registered at a registration office

 

Some interesting reads

 

http://petapixel.com/2013/09/10/250-million-reasons-register-photo-copyrights/

 

http://petapixel.com/2013/08/21/qa-what-should-you-do-if-your-photos-have-been-infringed/

 

Irrespective, if someone finds one of their pieces have been infringed I'd suggest taking a step back, take a deep breath and contact the infringer with a cool temper.

Good approach Almulla but also not worth the effort. All my pictures got copied from a chinese picture server. Even addressed by a lawyer no response! In the mean time the provider changed and the data of the server. They change fast and still do not respond.

 

That is the reality! Its painful!

 

And how protect 1x all uploaded photos on their servers? There are many users who have their pictures uploaded in large format for selling via 1x.

 

Yes, can't copyright ideas. I did this image back in the 80's. It was an experimental piece done with posterization using colorkey material. The image was a face where I switch the eyes with one mouth open and the other closed, and I put an eye where the mouth should be - a bit unsettling. anyway. last year, I saw an image that someone had done the exact same thing, but using regular photo (easier to do now with Photoshop rather than in the darkroom, as I did it). The fact that this person came up with this image that was so close to what I had done, which was far from a normal image, was very odd.

 

I would say yes...in your case - so many years in between.....but no not really most of the time.

 

In the past I would sometimes think...someone had stolen an idea I had. Or an idea from someone else. Then someone pointed out - 'how could I know that"....basically, they could have had the idea first before me. Even if they had not implemented it, they could still have the idea.

 

And of course you are correct - you can not copyright an idea.

 

With the Internet now - we many more photos than we ever did before and it makes it even more possible to see this duplications of ideas more frequently.

 

One of the things my husband sometimes does when writing his poetry is to put the line into a Google search...needless to say he is looking for something original in his work.

 

I once asked someone how they came up with their ideas for a Creative Edit. I was waiting for some great wisdom. What I got was this. They told me they just do a search on the Internet and then remake what they like! I recall thinking how uninspiring, and how could they spend their time like that. Their work was good, but after hearing the method used, I lost interest quickly. :)

 

Your idea would have been incredibly harder in the darkroom. So take heart. :)

 

Phyllis

 

In addition to what people advised above, i would like to add one more way of thinking: Those who copy others are followers, while the creator keeps moving forward. So what we can do is trying to be always a step or few ahead. That may push us to be even greater.

Let me see if I have this right...you post an image on the internet, ostensibly for the world to see what you have the ability to cough out. Then, someone sees that image and says to himself, "maybe/could I do that". And then, you get upset. That about it?.

I might suggest that, although your opinion may differ, the world does not revolve around you, you are not the center of the universe and check your ego at the door.

It was six years ago that I came up,/stole from Edward James Muggeridge in his 1872 series of a trotting horse, the concept of photo-merging "birds in flight". That technique is now commonplace to illustrate "movement" of a subject.

It is enough, to know that I opened to door for others to walk through.

 

I like that thinking Zan. I think it might be the only possible way to be original. And yes it might be possible that someone else has somewhere at our world the same idea at almost the same moment, but there will always be someone the first, and I like to be that one. Because that makes you a good artist; a good artist is able the come up with new ideas, and then indeed, it is no problem people copying your ideas. Just make something new again!

Phyllis, that happens a lot to me actually. I get an idea and mull it over - sometimes for years, then see someone else do something along the same lines and it takes the wind out of my sails.

Yes, I have also experienced it - and after I described how a particular picture was taken. A while after, an a very similar picture accepted at 1x, though, I think, without shame, that my picture was decidedly better. This is what happens when everyone will be writing tutorials, many will try to imitate - and that's why I do not write more "user" - think it's great if I can be an inspiration, but do not want to be copied :) :)

As a neophyte here, I have wondered about technique sharing...I sounds like folks keep that sort of thing pretty close to the chest!

To copy an idea of a photo is in my opinion not the problem, afterall how many photos are there showing a owl from the front, or the pose of a model, or an animation etc.. Rathermore copying the photo itself, which is a crime, and as such will be penalised. Afterall DVD players, TV's, Cars, Cameras, their looks are often being copied, but at the end of the day the quality is different, which should mean it is not the same...

The basis of civilization itself is the copying of ideas. In fact, that's one of the ways we can tell if one culture influenced another -- by the copying of that culture's ideas. We would not be able to produce photographs if we did not copy ideas.

 

With over 230 billion images on the internet, it is very unlikely you have a completely unique idea. People often tell me my sand images are unique. But they are not. There are variations of them everywhere. But I like to think I have put my own personal spin on this idea and made it my own, and in so doing, made it better.

 

Copying and building upon an idea is what art is all about. Art does not emerge into the world as a brand new entity. It sits on the shoulders of previous artists., build upon their ideas, copies them, and transforms them.

 

There is a big difference between copying an idea an building upon it and duplicating it for one's own recognition. The latter process may gain someone recognition in the short term, but over the years, these impostors always fall away. George Bush used Google Images to find photos of world leaders and turned them into paintings. Some of these images were copyrighted, and in so doing he violated the copyright. He gained some notoriety. Will he be regarded as an artist for this over the long term. I doubt it.

 

So if someone takes our idea and builds upon it, let's rejoice. It means we have added a brick to the great wall of art. If someone steals our image for personal gain, we have copyright law to help us out.