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Dealing with content (non-text) plagiarism

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In Blogging Ethics

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CyberKID
from India |

They say, Ignorance is Bliss.

Indeed it is. Though I don't know who "they" are, and why "they" say so, but, "they" must be pretty wise in saying so.

Till now, I was pretty confident that, since I write stuff that is quite personal in nature (based on my experience) there are quite low chances that any of my stuff will be plagiarised. Some of my early plagiarism checks using some of the freely available plagiarism checkers including copyscape, Google search, etc did confirm this. However, this notion of mine was shattered a few days back, when, I accidentally stumbled upon one of my images being used on a site, obviously, without my permission. I decided to run a check, and that day, found 3 or 4 odd results where not text from my blog but, the photographs and images that I click and use on my blog, and at a different places (including social networks and image sharing sites) were used without my permission.

Today I again started checking this using Google Image Search (images.google.com), this time, checking out the images I've posted on my blogger blog (that by default gets saved in my Google+ account, in a separate folder). There were 483 images, I searched them all, individually dragging and dropping them on google's image search window. Most of them returned my own pages, some returned my own pages, and other familiar places where I usually posted these images. Butm then, with some images, the search results came out with pages that I was not expecting the images to be used on. These were the pages where the images have been used without my permission. I composed a list of such pages, and am thinking to take some action.

While, I found some of my images being used at various places, my gut feeling says that this is not all. There ought to be more to this. So, I searched for "Reverse Image Search" on Google, and got some results. While some of the top ones were disappointing (maybe, because they didn't have any of my images in their search database), I found IMAGERAIDER (http://www.imageraider.com/) that seems to be doing some good job, of increasing my list. Though, this is a lengthy and time consuming exercise (copying each and every image link from different places I host my images, and putting it in imageraider and searching for the images and analyzing the results), so, I am expecting this list to be expanding more. For now, I am able to see only some of my images to be mostly used without permission, and for some reason, the images, most of which, I feel are best as per my standards, are not appearing anywhere (I think I must rejoice, for the plagiarists spared some of my best captures).

Here's the list of URL's I've found to be using my images without permission:

1. http://storydoll.blogspot.in/2014/03/calendula-flower-wallpaper_13.html

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

2. http://blossomsassociates.com/nursery.html (Image source: http://blossomsassociates.com/data3/images/36.jpg)

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

3. http://www.tradeindia.com/fp1933057/Jasmine-Sambac.html

4. http://fnutty.in/The-Perfumers-Essential-Oils/The-Perfumers-Bela-Essential-Oil

5. http://www.indiamart.com/theperfumers/essential-oil.html (Please do an in page search for "Bela Oil")

6. http://in100767389.trustpass.alibaba.com/product/158134646-106084661/Bela_Oil.html

7. http://www.nesso.com/index.php/products/floral-extracts/show/jasmine-sambac-2

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

8. http://www.resimsitesi.com/cicekler/rezene/4 (The very first Image with small yellow flowers)

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

9. http://www.skfny.com/spring-lover (the fourth image of the red rose)

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

10. http://www.shribhuvneshwarimandir.com/gallery.html

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

11. http://drashokakela.blogspot.in/2014/07/blog-post_25.html

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

12. http://fpedagog.org/AsterFlowers/aster-flower-name-in-hindi (BTW, this isn't an Aster flower)

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

13. http://www.indiamart.com/nursery-live/flower-plants.html#mexican-marigold-flower-plants

14. http://nurserylive.com/buy-aromatic-plants-online-in-india/mexican-marigold-plants-in-india [HAS REMOVED THE IMAGE IN QUESTION]

15. http://pixgood.com/mexican-marigold-plant.html

The Original Image in the G+ album for my blog.

I think checking for content plagiarism for stuff like images is quite a difficult task, or, this is what I found out with my today's exercise. I would like you guys to kindly suggest if you know more effective tools to check content plagiarism for images. I have wasted a lot of time in searching through and matching the results, and seems like I will need to invest a lot more to grab all the instances of plagiarism.

Though, for now, I do not have plans to take a legal action, but, would like you guys to kindly suggest what should my approach be in trying to resolve this?

I searched for the Indian Laws regarding Copyrights at copyright.gov.in

Here are a few excerpts from there:

Ques: Is it necessary to register a work to claim copyright?

Ans: No. Acquisition of copyright is automatic and it does not require any formality. Copyright comes into existence as soon as a work is created and no formality is required to be completed for acquiring copyright. However, certificate of registration of copyright and the entries made therein serve as prima facie evidence in a court of law with reference to dispute relating to ownership of copyright.

UPDATE: I have started searching for and sending emails on the email addresses of the concerned parties. I am asking them to take down the image in question and tender an unconditional apology. Let's see how they respond, if they do at all, else I'll have to resort to other suggested ways.

UPDATE 16-08-2014: As of now, none of the plagiarists who have been using my content has either responded or took an action on my email. I will wait for two more days i.e. till tuesday (owing to so many holidays), and if they still don't act, I'll then file a complaint.

UPDATE 27-08-2014: There are no responses from any of the concerned parties, I sent mails to. One of them (NurseryLive.com), just removed an infringing image, from their website, sometime after I sent them a mail. Others, are too stubborn to comply. So, now feeling that I have given them quite a lot of time to comply with the request, today, I have started sending emails to their web hosts. Lets see what is the response of the web hosts. If all else fails, I'll have to handle this legally.:|

UPDATE-2 27-08-2014: Seems this is moving forward. The first Web Host - Good Domain Registry, I sent the message to has responded to my mail, and has initiated an action into the complaint. They have informed me that they have informed the customer to "take necessary action."

Edited
Reason: Update on Action Taken, 27-08-2014

Replies 1 to 9 of 9

Bhavana Lalwani
from Jodhpur |

lovely captures ...  are u  a professional photographer ??

CyberKID
from India |

No, just a hobbyist.

Bhavana Lalwani
from Jodhpur |

which camera are u using and have u taken any classes etc for improving yr phootgraphy skills ?

and plz tell me which plagarism checker did u use for images and which one wud be suitable for text content ?

CyberKID
from India |

I'm still using a cellphone, Bhawana. Some were captured with a Nokia C6-00, the most recent ones with a Huawei Ascend P1. And Certainly, I didn't take any classes.

As far as checking the images is concerned, I used Google Image Search, then ImageRaider. Others I used failed to get me any results, most probably because they didn't have my images in their databases.

Narasimha Sharma Veturi
from Hyderabad |

Aster wala has given u the credit Tongue out

CyberKID
from India |

But, didn't seek my permission before using the image. I suppose you are supposed to seek the copyright holder's permission before using the copyrighted work, even if you're giving credits.

Arvind Passey
from Delhi |

Quite a few of the listed ones are professional websites... which means:

1. The in-house design team is lifting images and using them. This could be because the company decision-makers might not be allowing enough budget to purchase images from legal sources... or, the team is just lazy and not bothered about ethics.

2. The websites are created and maintained by agencies. An agency that is big will generally not resort to such tactics, but smaller ones many times do.

The individuals with blogs etc who indulge in such activities can always be warned and if they continue to lift stuff, the host can also be informed and the website taken off.

CyberKID
from India |

Thanks for the suggestion, sir. I'll try looking for their contact details. This, I believe, is an irresponsible behaviour from professional firms like the ones at nurserylive and blossomassociates. And we have a mandir website as well in this list. Guessing that gods also like one of my shots. Tongue out

Abhishek
from Allahabad |

I think it is a general (unethical) practice for blogs to lift images from Google Search. Many people do it without even thinking twice. And sometime they just give credit to original image but don't seek permission (as it is time consuming). While Google is strict for text palgiarism, its not the same case with images though.

You can contact the web owners and ask them to give credit to you.

In my opinion, unless someone is selling those images, I wouldn't mind if some other website use it in some article with image credit. Just my personal opinion.

CyberKID
from India |

Abhishek, no issues here either, but, ethics say you should ask for permission. But, then almost half of the uses are for commercial purposes. See the ones at no 2, 3, 4, 5, 11 and 12.

Judy
from Gurgaon |

In that case does having a copy right declaration on blog of any use? I have mentioned for content and photograph both..

CyberKID
from India |

Does that really help, Judy? When putting a watermark isn't serving as an inhibiting factor for such uses, how can we expect them to read a copyright notice and act wisely? Though, I don't have a separate copyright notice, I do have a Copyright attribution at the end of the blog.

Hunky @ NexGenBikes.com
from Kolkata |

Recently I had an issue with my website too.. A MNC stole my picture and used it.. I have followed it up with them and they accepted their guilt and later published the entire article of mine with credits mentioned..

http://www.indiblogger.in/forum/topic.php?id=19349

Subroto
from Brisbane |

Hey a gardening blog!  I am surely going to be reading it.  Sorry went off-topic.

On the plus side your watermark is clearly visible as can be seen on the good doctor's blog.  Unfortunately I think people do not take image plagarism that seriously, whereas it can have a major impact on those who work in that area.  And taking them when they are watermarked is a big copyright violation.  Maybe contact them regarding the image ownership. 

CyberKID
from India |

Subroto, I have already done so. And since it has been around a week since I sent them a mail to some of them (the ones doing commercial usage), asking them to take down the images, and haven't got a response from any of them. Today, I'm sending them a mail again that sine they have failed to either take down the image or reply to my mail, I am now going to file a DMCA complaint with their web hosts.

CyberKID
from India |

Seems NurseryLive people have removed the image. I can no longer see the image in the page.

http://nurserylive.com/buy-aromatic-plants-online-in-india/mexican-marigold-plants-in-india

Desire v/s Destiny
from Gurgaon |

FB not available in office , I will post in My groups , let us see

 I am assuming no Email responses from their Sides ?

CyberKID
from India |

Thanks for the support, DvD. Laughing I'll let you know once I start the social media campaign against them. It's hard to find their FB accounts. even if they have, most often, these are just for sake of being there. No one actively monitors these accounts.

Ranjith
from hyderabad |

If all else fails, I'll have to handle this legally.

Are you sure? Surprised

CyberKID
from India |

Yes, Ranjith. If nothing else works, I'll have no other option except pursuing this legally. Till now, I had no plans to cause financial burdens for them, but when they leave no other option, I'll have to.