Unauthorized use of stock photographs

This image, of the Hamptons, shot for Vanity Fair, way back in 2007, is my most ripped-off photograph.

It has appeared in everything from web articles to high-end realtor web sites to European magazines – all without permission or payment.

A couple of years ago I signed up with Permission Machine, who along with The Image Theft Law Firm, have gone after quite a few of these folks for copyright violation and licensing.

It is much less expensive to license an image, then to steal it and get caught. It is always the same excuse, “my designer got it off the web and said it was free.”

Most of the images were stolen from my AerialStock site as screenshots or from a few profiles on photography websites.

All in all, it has been a good relationship. Permission Machine works with The Image Theft Law Firm, and they are professional advocates for my work. They are tireless and go after the worst offenders.  The Permission Machine dashboard is easy to use and after the scan your collection, they start flagging images for you to review.

They have had a few major wins for me, which make up for the lost licenses of the images due to theft and to the race to the bottom of the barrel created by microstock and RF imagery.

If you are looking for a firm to help you recover lost license fees and more, than these guys are a good place to start.  Permission Machine has office sin the United States in Europe.