Google copyright removal denied!

[Jops]

To keep it short - found my images on a competitor's website with my watermarks and all. I report it to Google using the copyright removal tool. I get the following response over and over...

It is unclear to us whether or not you are the authorized copyright agent for the content in question. Only the copyright owner or an authorized representative can file a DMCA Infringement Notice on his/her behalf. Please note that you could be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyrights.

Copyright in an image is generally owned by the person who created the image, unless the image was made as part of that person’s responsibilities as an employee (in which case the image belongs to the employer) or that person entered into a written agreement to transfer the rights to the image to someone else. So, for example, a person who is the subject of a photograph is generally not the owner of the copyright in the photograph (unless the person has obtained the rights to the photograph, such as by written agreement).

If you still believe you are the copyright owner in this case, then please reply to this e-mail with documentation that confirms you are the rights holder for this content. Otherwise we cannot process your complaint, and you should have the copyright owner file a DMCA notice with us.

Regards,
The Google Team

So basically competitors are now allowed to just visit your website and take whichever images they want and fuck all will happen. Is this right?

 

[AleksUnder]

If this image is yours, there must be EXIF data (image-right click-properties). I wrote to DMCA once and in my letter describe it with additional links about copyrights. It helped.

 

[gm2891]

To keep it short - found my images on a competitor's website with my watermarks and all. I report it to Google using the copyright removal tool. I get the following response over and over...



So basically competitors are now allowed to just visit your website and take whichever images they want and fuck all will happen. Is this right?

I reckon they have already pre-made automatic messages for that case if your message does not trigger their bots to perform a takedown. Try the following:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

Hello Google team,

Thank you for responding to my DMCA notice. I understand that you are looking for additional information regarding the DMCA complaint I filed.

I am the owner, webmaster, author, and editor of the website ...... and all the content at ............ is my original and copyrighted work.

Among some of the works infringed upon are the following:

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

I confirm that the content published at the URL .............. violates my copyrights and I request Google to remove it from Google's index. I swear, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate and that I am the copyright owner of an exclusive work that is infringed.

If you need any further information regarding the copyright owner, please feel free to contact me.

Regards,

[put here as much as you can about yourself, phone number (you can put any), your social links, home address, etc]

 

[preditor]

Thease take down actions are really a pain in the ass to make, but worth it when you do it right and when MR.G agrees with you!

If you get a no now, make a new report and try again.

Keep in mind to describe the issue short and also point url to url with origin and the stolen part of content / image.

On that e-mail you got from them, reply with a prt screen of original and stolen img with urls on them and as earlier mentiond, the EXIF data.

 

[gm2891]

In your case with images, it may help if you add your image URL from Google Images (not your WordPress image file). This way their bots will instantly determine where it was uploaded originally. However, even this to them does not prove that the image is yours! Because anyone could have created that image and sent it to you, etc which means you're not an original creator of this work.

 

[AussieDave]

Yet another reason why using hotlink protection is a must do. That along with no cache for ALL SE's. You can go one further and prevent right click actions. Yes, all someone needs to do it pull the source-code.

Thing to remember, if someone wants to gain access to your images, site or server, they will, if they have said skills. Your job is to make it a pain in butt, for them to do it.

This way, they leave you alone and move to a site that's easy.

 

[AussieDave]

Thought about it overnight.

Another suggestion, again more time wasting but I think this would be easier to prove you own the image(s). Also, as an added benefit, not too many people will steal an image with a watermark of your domain name, on said image(s).

Could be added small and discretely

Should also add... There's a htaccess trick you can use against hotlinking image(s), which, instead of providing the actually image, it serves a same sized image, which can display text of your choice.

EG - Image stolen from:
YourDomainName.com

That's works a treat too.