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Generalmassive copyright infringement

6th Dec 2016 08:28 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

Hi all,


I have just come accross this site Rockstone where - much to my surprise - I have not only found one of my pictures featured here on Mindat but also hundreds of other copyright protected pictures from Mindat. No credit is given, neither to Mindat, nor the respective authors of the photographs.


The site is run by German mining analyst Stephan Bogner, based in Zurich, Switzerland.


Personally, I have nothing against the idea that any of my images are used elsewhere as long as I get asked beforehand and a copyright notice is given in the text. Quite a few journals (printed and online), as well as exhibitions and others have done so in the past and I have always been happy to grant permission free of charge.


What really annoys me the most in this case is the fact, that in the German Disclaimer he writes that:


“All contents (texts as well as tables, graphs, images & charts) are copyright protected“

(Original: “Sämtliche Inhalte (sowohl Texte als auch Tabellen, Grafiken, Bilder & Charts) sind urheberrechtlich geschützt)


I would call this a „hostile copyright takeover“. What are your thoughts about this?

6th Dec 2016 09:16 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Hi Wolfgang


I just took a quick look at the site and noticed several of Rob Lavinsky's photos had been used (I simply recognised them). What I also noticed was that there were at least 3 photos of my own specimens - photos that I had taken.


I certainly had not been asked permission.


I also note that there are several articles with such photos.


I will try and investigate further.


Cheers


Keith

6th Dec 2016 09:23 UTCPeter Trebilcock Expert

Hi Wolfgang


A quick browse of the site shows several of my pictures which are copyright, am I sure? , absolutely as they still have my catalog number on a couple of them, I will show them to a mineral collecting friend who is also a top lawyer who specializes in this type of breach and get his opinion.

On one hand I am quite proud that he thought my pics were good enough to include but a little disappointed with his lack of common courtesy.

Regards Peter.

6th Dec 2016 09:26 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

I would suggest that every poster on Mindat looks on this site.

I found a photo of a specimen in my collection and I didn't receive any demand of use.


Thanks Wolfgang.

6th Dec 2016 10:05 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

If it was at least an educational / non commercial site, but this Rockstone Research site is 100% commercial and he claims to have the rights on all the images.


I don't know too much about copyright laws in your respective countries, but in Germany there are quite a few lawyers ("Abmahnanwälte" / "cease-and-desist lawyers") specialised in this type of copyright infringement. As far as I know, it does not take much effort and a violator of copyrights has to pay in the range of € 600 - € 1000 per image. I am seriously considering contacting one of these lawyers, and, if I win the case I would be happy to donate the compensation to Mindat.

6th Dec 2016 10:21 UTCRui Nunes 🌟 Expert

I found eleven photos of mine and I also did not receive any authorization request...

Rui


Edit: in a second visit I found fifteen!

6th Dec 2016 10:53 UTCFrank Craig

I haven't looked at this site yet (I definitely will), but I don;t take this sort of thing lightly. Individuals who have found thier photographs on the site without permission (make sure mindat didn't give permission) should contact the web master immediately and 'request' those photos be removed. The web master can then submit a request for permission to use the photographs (It would be up to the individual whether or not to grant the request) I would also consider legal action - depending on what the photos were used for (ie advertising or illustraions) and/or if the web master contests your claim.

6th Dec 2016 11:03 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

"make sure mindat didn't give permission" - We can't. The copyright belongs to the photographer unless they make it public domain or creative commons.


They have copied the photos to their website.

6th Dec 2016 12:24 UTCBruce Cairncross Expert

Out of curiosity I went to the Rockstore site (English translation) to see if any of my photos are there and I don't see any mineral photos on the home page nor any link to photos (unless I'm missing something). Has this site perhaps cottoned on to the Mindat copyright discussion and removed all the pictures?

6th Dec 2016 12:31 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

If you go to the link in the first message you will see the page. I think they may not have translated that page.

6th Dec 2016 12:35 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

Hello Bruce,


The photos with captions are only available in the German version, his "research" is mainly meant for the German speaking investor community. I think he did not see the need to translate all (back) into English.


Wolfgang

6th Dec 2016 13:26 UTCBruce Cairncross Expert

Thanks Wolfgang/David: I accessed the original German home page and saw the mineral pictures. Seems that my Mindat images escaped the plagiarist!

6th Dec 2016 13:55 UTCJohn R. Montgomery 🌟 Expert

Thanks Bruce for asking the English version question... I was going nuts trying to find the page!

A quick run through and I saw A David K.Joyce photo of a forsterite specimen off Mindat.


John

6th Dec 2016 14:47 UTCHenry Minot 🌟 Expert

I just did a quick run through of the site and saw several of my photos. I most certainly did not give this guy permission to use them and am quite annoyed...


Henry

6th Dec 2016 14:56 UTCJeff Weissman Expert

Thank you Wolfgang for bringing this to our attention. If you need specific action from myself, please let me know. I could send the guy an e-mail, but I doubt that will have an effect.


I spotted at least 12 of my images, including several POTD, and many more that I recognized from Mindat. When asked, I usually give permission for non-commercial or academic use (I will sometimes ask for a small fee for for-profit endeavors). Certainly, this was not the case here, and I doubt I would have given permission for commercial use such as this without further discussion.

6th Dec 2016 15:11 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

I've had some experience with intellectual property theft of my teaching materials. Most time the web site owner will ignore requests to cease and desist, but you may be able to go after the web site hosting company. Of course the hosting company will say they are not responsible, but have your lawyer all their lawyer and see what happens.

6th Dec 2016 15:20 UTCDouglas Merson 🌟 Expert

I found one of mine, a baryte from the Rock Candy Mine in British Columbia.

6th Dec 2016 15:27 UTCBob Harman

I have a slightly different take on this.


Firstly, let me emphatically state that I fully agree with the posters stating that it appears to be copyright infringement.


But, the real problem, to me, is any discussions going along with the pictures.

For example, if a picture of a mineral specimen were shown and the accompanying comments were something like: "This is a great example of mineral ZZZ from XXX mine well worth looking for blah, blah, blah", I would not be too upset. The picture AND THE DISCUSSION would potentially enhance both my collection and value of the piece.

On the other hand, if THE DISCUSSION of the pictured specimen said something like: "This is a low end example not worthy of display etc, blah, blah, blah. I would be most seriously upset as it disparages my collection and potentially lowers any monetary value.


So, for me, the copyright infringement might be in any disparaging discussion of the pictured piece rather that than just the usurped picture per se. CHEERS.....BOB

6th Dec 2016 15:49 UTCDebbie Woolf Manager

It even has one of mine :-)

6th Dec 2016 15:58 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

I usually give permission when somebody ask but if he don't, I ask to remove my pic. Just a matter of reciprocal courtesy too.


It would be less annoying if, when clicking on the pic, it opens in Mindat. But this does not.

6th Dec 2016 16:51 UTCMark Heintzelman 🌟 Expert

Thanks Wolfgang for pointing this out. Yes, after already finding five of mine, I'm done looking . . . the guy is a thief, and a wholesale one at that.


I will also join the complaint list . .no permission was ever requested with me either, and I'm not sure I would have for this particular project (plenty of good field books out there).


But despite any otherwise good intentions, he has stolen a lot of hard work and years worth of effort, all of which had been contributed to the efforts HERE for this purpose.

None of us made this effort for this "rockstone" site, and likely many of us would not have, so yes I am pretty unhappy about this. The level of arrogance and/or ignorance is jarring.


MRH

6th Dec 2016 16:58 UTCJohn Betts

It is very easy to shut down a copyright infringing web site. Because the host company (where the server is located) is equally responsible for the copyright infringement, they will quickly remove the site if requested.


Search "Whois" for the domain, find the host company, and send them an email with evidence of where the original content was first posted. It is not uncommon for the site to disappear within a day.


Facebook also has a simple process for infringement claims at: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/634636770043106


That being said, it appears this site is for educational purposes, which is a good thing. He does not appear to be making money from it.

6th Dec 2016 17:00 UTCSteve Stuart Expert

I found at least four of my images on this Rockstone site, all published without asking for my permission. Sign me up for any group legal action being planned. My images include a fayalite from Coso Springs, CA; spessartine garnet from Mont Saint-Hilaire, red zircon from Pakistan, and amesite from Russia. I'll keep looking!

6th Dec 2016 17:02 UTCSteve Stuart Expert

The link to the Rockstone site seems to be disabled as of a few minutes ago!

6th Dec 2016 17:18 UTCScott Rider

It does appear something is changing, the website link in the very first post isn't working for me. But I was able to view the "main" part of that website. I couldn't find the images in question, perhaps they have been contacted (they as in either hosting company, or the original poster)...

6th Dec 2016 17:19 UTCMark Heintzelman 🌟 Expert

Agree with John, it seems his effort is for educational purposes. but frankly it's an effort he could have, should have made here by joining mindat. Instead he chose to steal intellectual property for his own webpage. No, unacceptable . . .sorry.


A mindat field guide is NOT such a bad idea, for quick reference or general educational purposes on the subject, especially for the kids. This is a fairly daunting site for those with beginning interest on the subject, and frankly, if I had the time to initiate an effort, I would have booked this subject myself.


MRH

6th Dec 2016 17:47 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

09967270016017190195669.jpg
From the internet archive - contact info for your queries


Stephan Bogner (Dipl. Kfm., FH)

Chief Editor & Founder

Rockstone Research

Wagenhauserstrasse 15

8260 Stein am Rhein

Phone: +41-44-5862323

Email: sb@rockstone-research.com

www.rockstone-research.com



6th Dec 2016 17:48 UTCMark Heintzelman 🌟 Expert

I still have the original page up with all loaded images, if anyone is interested in screen captures.


I will say, this IS a profit oriented site, and the content from mindat was stolen to enrich their own websites content.


Who these people are, or claim to be, "market investor" oriented:


http://www.rockstone-research.com/index.php/en/s_article/225

6th Dec 2016 17:53 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

My not-so-little nose was out of joint - I couldn't find any of MY pictures on his site. Then I did. I'll be sending him a message.


For those of you on Facebook, here is the page


https://www.facebook.com/pg/Rockstone-Research-185626054828957/about/?ref=page_internal

6th Dec 2016 18:00 UTCBecky Coulson 🌟 Expert

Maggie, I don't have photos for him to steal...but I also sent a message to add to other voices. This is terribly dishonest, and I hope his email accounts are overwhelmed!

6th Dec 2016 18:01 UTCNiels Brouwer

I think it would be best if you take these screenshots while you still have the page opened, Mark. This is still more convincing 'evidence' than a web archive page.


I would agree that the website in general has a commercial rather than an educational purpose, although the particular page with the endless series of Mindat images seems to be less prominently so. Either way permission should have been asked beforehand, there can't be any doubt about that. The odd thing is that this seems to be followed much more consequently in other articles, where the source ('Quelle') of the images is usually given. Makes it all the more remarkable to see how many times this has been violated on this single page.

6th Dec 2016 18:05 UTCSean

If this guy is using these images for "Educational Purpose", he's allowed to use these images without asking for permission. However, he must give credits to the original owner(s). If he's not doing that, then he's most likely infringing upon copyright.


My only plan is to contact the guy first before doing any legal actions towards him. If he doesn't respond to you nor to anyone or does respond, but refuses to listen, then that's when you can go after him. I'm sorry for the actual owners of these images. I know how that feels.

6th Dec 2016 18:29 UTCScott Rider

Holy cow, this guy is audacious... The amount of images "stolen" is ridiculous... I do not care if it is for educational purposes or commercial, either way, you need permission to use someone elses intellectual property...


None of my images are in there (not good enough I bet), but if they were he'd be hearing from my brother who is in the Intellectual property protection business (basically works for one of the largest Patent/Trademark law firms in the world)... He laughed quite hard, as he was shocked that this person was so irreverent in deciding he could take this number of images for his own purposes and no one would find out....


Did someone threaten legal action? Is that why the first link won't work? Either way, its quite unbelievable that many images were used in this project with out him thinking, gee, do I need permission? Has this person reached out to anyone in Mindat?

6th Dec 2016 18:42 UTCSteve Stuart Expert

Found a fifth illicit image: a strontianite from Ida, Michigan. So, five of mine have been pilfered!

6th Dec 2016 19:11 UTCMark Heintzelman 🌟 Expert

Page now fully documented with screen captures, 250 captures, 400 MB


I disagree with the idea that the use of these images actually qualifies as strictly "Educational". This is a promotional website tied to a company promoting mining investment. The page was set up and the images stolen to promote their own businesses image, a promotion of their competency and "expertise" in the field. Nothing altruistic about that, sorry.


Had permission been sought for this, I would have declined, but I wasn't even given the right to do so.


MRH

6th Dec 2016 19:40 UTCBecky Coulson 🌟 Expert

Is it not possible for Mindat to block access from this man's address?

6th Dec 2016 19:42 UTCScott Rider

I agree with Mark, after translating some of this site I can say this is NOT for educational purposes. As MRH stated, it is to promote his company -- I assume this business is to consult and "research" for new mineral deposits across the globe... And using these images could help him in that en devour.


This guy should be sued, if only that option wouldn't cost Mindat any money... To bad we can't find a copyright attorney that would work pro bono... This guy may or may not be a liar, but either way this guy used a LOT of copyrighted (and not) images with no intent to give the originator any credit. He should be punished or at least legally told to cease and desist...


The page being offline may be a good sign. But I have a feeling we may here from this person in the future...

6th Dec 2016 19:48 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

"That being said, it appears this site is for educational purposes, which is a good thing. He does not appear to be making money from it."


I agree with John, but the purpose of the site is irrelevant. Intellectual property theft is still theft, regardless of the end use.

6th Dec 2016 19:52 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

"That being said, it appears this site is for educational purposes, which is a good thing. He does not appear to be making money from it."


I agree with John, but the purpose of the site is irrelevant. Intellectual property theft is still theft, regardless of the end use.


That the web site owner uses Constant Contact may be another avenue of pursuit, at least if he uses stolen property in his Constant Contact emailings.

6th Dec 2016 19:55 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

All of this makes me think we could use a new Mindat forum, perhaps called "Around the Web", where Mindat-ers can comment on existing web sites, expose plagiarists, announce new ones (noncommercial, of course) etc.

6th Dec 2016 20:00 UTCBecky Coulson 🌟 Expert

Can Mindat block access for this man?

6th Dec 2016 20:42 UTCScott Rider

I like Steve's idea, use a forum main topic page devoting to the "Around the Web" idea ... I would love to see links to other mineral webpages that I would never find normally!

Maybe have two, one for legit sites like research/educational, rockhounds, etc. Then the other for Frauds/Unethical Sites/fraudulent dealers... I know we have a fakes/fraud, but having one for devoted to just websites and whether they are legit or not, that could be useful.

6th Dec 2016 22:59 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Hi


Looks like the info has been taken down from their site.


I have not received a response from them in relation to my email sent yesterday.


Cheers


Keith

7th Dec 2016 00:04 UTCNiels Brouwer

Thanks by the way for posting their Facebook page, Maggie.


It turns out that they have accumulated more than 7000 likes, as well as more than 26000 people discussing their page. Those are some serious numbers, which you will only achieve by implementing a major social media strategy. The creation of content - the elaborate articles on their website in both German and English - is a very important part of such a strategy. As the article with the vast number of Mindat images was part of this content I would argue they definitely benefited from misusing these images, or at least attempted to do so. Any professional content creator should know better than to use photos from other sites without the owner's consent. Moreover, the copyright even is explicitly visible on screen when you look through an image gallery or open the photo page. For me this can only mean the he/they did it deliberately, thinking nobody would ever notice or that there wouldn't be any consequences.


I think however that it could be a cautiously positive sign that they have already taken down the particular page. It must have been rather a lot of work to put an article together with such a number of images, so you would only remove it if you realise you've been wrong. I really hope anyone hears back from him/them, but I guess it's up to the Mindat members whose photos were used if taking the page down is indeed sufficient.

7th Dec 2016 09:21 UTCZbynek Burival Expert

Just take a look at the Amazing geologist, Geology Wonders and bunch of other new geology/mineral related "viral" websites. All of these are owned by a one guy - just check the who.is registration.


Not a single line of their own content, whole articles copied, all photos copied too. Typical tiny text credit with excuse to DMCA. However, DMCA or fair use do not apply here:


These are not educational websites. These viral websites are build only for profit - you mass-scrape content, then share on social networks like mad and even the 1-2 % clicks mean insane traffic to your website. You plaster the website with ads, affilliate links and of course make sure that the affill links and ads look like normal menu items, article headlines etc. You can make a pretty decent living this way. Viralnova - which started this viral thief business - earned millions $$.

7th Dec 2016 18:00 UTCKristi Hugs

There is a website called wikimedia commons where many of Rob and other folks mineral photos are. The idea is to use the photo freely BUT polite people and people who recognize the importance of giving credit, will copy the link provided and put under the picture or on the page. I use wikimedia commons a lot since I do not have a big collection myself, but I ALWAYS give credit where credit is due. You may want to check out wikimedia commons......put in a mineral name and see what comes up :)

8th Dec 2016 05:36 UTCJoel Dyer

Hmm, I tried to figure out, when floating through the said webpage with my tablet, whether the page was some sort of bad joke, or a trial to create the World's Longest Webpage with Also the Worst Layout Job. In addition to stealing people's pictures.


Uhhh............how anyone can Like or could have Liked the webpage, is an utter mystery to myself.


Cheers,

8th Dec 2016 09:00 UTCMatt King

You can easily buy likes, follows and friends in social media. There are 'Like Farms' in China and the far east who will generate thousands of likes for as little as $20. It's just another way to make you site/page look far more 'popular' than it really is.

8th Dec 2016 23:47 UTCMartin Rich Expert

The basic problem is here on mindat. Everyone can easily download a file without permission. In my opinion, this should be made impossible. If someone want a photo for any use, he/she should ask the copyright holder for permission and the copyright holder can "unlock" the image in question.

9th Dec 2016 00:00 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

> Everyone can easily download a file without permission.


This is simply not true. It is very difficult to download without permission. The only people who have the download image button are those with level 2 access or higher, ie the most trusted users on mindat. Of course, you also have the download image button on your own images, or if the image allows sharing due to the image licence chosen.


> this should be made impossible.


It is impossible to make it impossible. Whatever we do people will be able to find a way to take images somehow. The only way to avoid this is to heavily watermark the images, but as you know we do not like that solution here.


Jolyon

9th Dec 2016 00:01 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

Because of the resolution of the versions used on that stolen page (quite low), it's most likely that he took low-res screen captures of the images.

9th Dec 2016 02:22 UTCKeith Wood

It's pretty easy to get a high quality image off of Mindat. Not that I'm going to say how. But anyone with some computer knowledge could do it. Not necessarily full original resolution, but pretty high, without screen-shotting it.

9th Dec 2016 05:38 UTCSteve Sorrell Expert

Looking at the archive, I have found a couple of mine too... Then I got bored and stopped looking. I agree with Jolyon. They are low-res (probably) screen captured images...

9th Dec 2016 09:04 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

Keith. Exsctly. You can't prevent it without reducing the viewing experience for those genuine visitors to the site. All we can do is make it at least non-trivial for people who don't understand how to use the Inspect Element tools (etc) to do.

10th Dec 2016 00:36 UTCMartin Rich Expert

Ok Jolyon, you are right! I overlooked, that I'm a member of level 2 (I think, I'm a member of this level). I noticed the download button when I logged in and I thought this is a gernal feature.

10th Dec 2016 02:50 UTCTony Peterson Expert

I had to scroll through a lot before finding any of mine, then I hit the garnet section - oof! I will monitor this thread and if I don't see reports that the page has been completely removed, I will be contacting the author.


No, actually, I'll contact him now. Stealing images in this way is lazy and tacky. I hate lazy and tacky.


Tony

10th Dec 2016 05:43 UTCFrank Festa

I certainly do not want to burst any ones bubble..........but I brought up the issue of copyright infringement right here on MinDat. I even listed the photos involved.


I myself was guilty of infringement by using material taken directly from the Internet......... under the understanding of "fair use". After studying this issue and during an in-depth research, there actually no such thing as "fair usage" Nothing on the Internet can be considered "fair use" and can not legally be used without written approval from the legal owner (copyrighted or not) not to mention copyrighting the material to your name. To use any material from the Internet, the material must clearly include a statement stating legal usage.


The key here is this .......if it is not your personal material, do not use it.

13th Dec 2016 09:26 UTCZbynek Burival Expert

It is true that there are thousands of Rob Lavinski photos on wikimedia. BUT he has explicitly stated that you must use the credit line - as specified in CC licence - and there is a hyperlink to irocks.com. So anyone using just "credit: Rob Lavinsky" text without a link is violating the CC licence. It doesnt matter if the photo is free, you MUST use the credit line as defined or the free licence is void.


The other problem is property release, which is widely ignored online. You are simply not allowed to publish online someones property without the property release - even if the photo itself is free. Legally, I cant just make snaps in someones living room and post it online. It violates several privacy and private property regulations.


It takes a lot of extra work to get photos for my articles. But I make sure all is legal and that there is no harm to photographers or mineral owners. I dont like my photos stolen, so I do not steal photos of others. Simple as that.

13th Dec 2016 16:18 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

> The other problem is property release, which is widely ignored online. You are simply not allowed to publish online someones property without the property release - even if the photo itself is free.


I very much doubt that a single mineral specimen photo can be covered by this legally - I'd like to see an example of any case law that would indicate this would apply. Normally as long as the photo was taken legally there is no such restriction. A property release is usually to cover 'property' in the sense of your home. If you invited me into your house and I took photos of your room without your knowledge that would be violating your property rights if I used the photos.


Also, photos taken in a public place (eg a mineral show) wouldn't need property release.


A photograph of someone's mineral cabinet, that would probably fall under the rules for this.

21st Dec 2016 06:32 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

I stumbled across this site the other day and it didn't look very original. I thought I recognized some pictures as being from mindat. I could be wrong... Some looked like they were taken by members and others are historical pictures.


http://www.ontarioexplorations101.com/

21st Dec 2016 12:52 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

I went through the Ontario Explorations website Matt describes above. While a couple of the mineral photos might bear a resemblance to photos on Mindat, what really struck me about these pages is how poorly they are written from a purely grammatical standpoint. I do commend the owner/operator of the site for gathering a lot of historical data, but wow..... does it need to be presented more clearly!!


Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now and return you to your regularly scheduled thread........ :-D

23rd Dec 2016 21:46 UTCFrank Festa

Copyright is a very detailed, specific, intricate subject. Without the advice of a copyright lawyer you can speculate all day long.


Here is my question......is it truly hurting, offending, causing lost income, etc, ect to have any photo/s, you freely posted here, used by someone else?


OK........Maybe it is. In that case, it would best to seek professional legal advice. First ask yourself.....are you willing to fork out costs for legal activity? And, how much are you willing to spend?


You are aware it is a simple procedure to download or copy-paste almost anything from the Internet and repurpose it? With this in mind, why would anyone think their property could or would not be repurposed? By uploading your photos to the Internet, you have thrown them into the public arena. Why would you think your property is immune to reuse even with a copyright?


Even if a copyright mark were placed on personal property, Photoshop or any cheap photo editing program can remove that mark.


Why not embed your property, which is quite easy to do.


OR, the safest thing ..............is simply not upload property to the Internet.


Otherwise live with it.


Note.....my comments only apply to the use of property uploaded to the Mindate website and no other, where no professional, economic impact , portfolio, self advertising, monetary or any personal gains are sought, ect , or were intended. And, I am sure someone will argue my comments.


Lookover the following website.........



http://blog.kenkaminesky.com/photography-copyright-and-the-law/


.......................................................................................................


Note.........what does upset me is when I see flagrant copyright infringement right here on MinDat ! ! !


Photos copied directly from books, magazines, periodicals and copyrighted to the person who uploaded the material as if the material was their personal property.



Thanks


Frank

23rd Dec 2016 22:29 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

Frank, you seem somewhat ill-informed on this subject.


> Copyright is a very detailed, specific, intricate subject. Without the advice of a copyright lawyer you can speculate all day long.


Interesting statement, and then you continue to go right ahead and speculate.


> Here is my question......is it truly hurting, offending, causing lost income, etc, ect to have any photo/s, you freely posted here, used by someone else?


If someone else is making money directly or indirectly out of my work without my permission and without any recompense to me, then yes, it's wrong. There's nothing "intricate" about that.


> With this in mind, why would anyone think their property could or would not be repurposed?


We think it should not. That's a big difference to your statement. One would hope that people are good enough NOT to steal content that doesn't belong to them. We certainly don't expect others to excuse this behaviour on the basis that 'this is the internet - get over it'.



> what does upset me is when I see flagrant copyright infringement right here on MinDat ! ! !


Interesting that it upsets you here, but doesn't seem to upset you when mindat.org users are victim of the same. Nethertheless the rules on mindat.org are clear. If any image that belongs to you has been uploaded by a member here without your permission then we will take action to remove it


If you see an image which is NOT yours that you believe is a copyright violation then by all means contact us, or the photo uploader privately. Do not make public accusations because there could very well be a legitimate reason. It could also simply be a mistake on behalf of the uploader (as we had before with copyright messages being incorrectly added public domain images.


But if there are any questions at all, we will investigate.

23rd Dec 2016 22:41 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

I think to stop this thread descending into madness I'll close it now.
 
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