Help!!! Our Pf Photos On A Fake Sale Site

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#63
CobaltBlu said:
I really feel awful about it. I mean, it is so upsetting to those whose pictures are there. I feel sorry that I found it, I hope posting it was the right thing to do......all this upset and really nothing can be done. I feel terrible.

Dear CobaltBlu

You really did do the right thing posting this vile site here, so please don't feel blue. While a site of this nature brings all kinds of emotions to the fore for our dear members whose pictures have been stolen, it does create awareness of what is going on in cyberspace and gives us a little shake about how careful we have to be.

And a thread like this creates awareness, so if it stops one poor soul from losing their money then it's a good job well done.

So it's cocktail hour now, go mix yourself something cheeky up and please don't worry.

Best wishes

Fleursetcarlines.
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#64
S'Mom said:
Well ladies, I guess the days of me posting pics from now on are, sadly, over unless I use an outside URL which will allow me more control over my own pictures. It's really sad that nothing can be done.......I guess this is the risk we take. And I for one, no longer want to take it unless I can control the pictures myself. NOT because I have such a stellar collection because that's not the case......it's the principal of the thing. Even watermarked pictures are not immune.

So, it's off to locate an outside URL where I can download my pics....move them here when I want to and then delete them when I want.
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You do realize though that the issue at hand is not the inability to delete your images on tPF... there is a good reason for us not allowing users to delete their own images. It is instances such as these in which tons of users would impulsively delete all of their images, leaving hundreds of valuable threads broken and deserted. What sense does that make? It is a habit that neither of us admins or mods condone, it is a pain in the rear to sift through tons of threads (particularly reference threads) and remove the orphaned posts.

The danger of having your images stolen and abused starts the millisecond you post them online. If one can not handle the reality of this danger, it is the best option not to post any images at all. Sounds harsh, but it is the truth.

In this particular case, nothing can be done because the offensive party resides in China. If a scammer is located in the US, the site can be forced to remove copyrighted materials, but often times it is not worth the time, energy and money to pursue your rights.

Yes, it sucks that your images were copied and misused, but that is the unfortunate reality of the internet. But fortunately, no monetary damages were done, nobody is hurting your business by stealing your images, nobody stole your valuable bags - it's just bag pictures. Maybe I see it too lightly because it's happened to us too many times. I can hand you twenty sites online that daily copy our blog posts word for word, pull it straight from the RSS feed and cash in on our work.

I still believe that it is not worth hurting our community as a result of it all.
 
#65
Thank you fleurs....

When I found this fake purse site yesterday, I wrote my post almost immediately, it was a knee-jerk thing....but then the PF site was down for maintenance. In the interim, I though maybe it was best to post the info to vlad....just to bounce it off him, and megs, too.

But then, PF came back up and my thread was already here. I really have mixed feelings about it, mostly I feel that I was impulsive and should have though it through better.

I hope that this does not damage the PF in limiting the pictures that are posted here. I fear that will happen and this is why I feel so bad.

I love the PF and I feel afraid that I inadvertantly hurt the PF by my impulsive post.

What vlad says is true...though what these idiots have done is vile, and it FEELS like a violation---as it did to me even though they were not my photos (it FELT like theywere !!), in reality, it is a photo of a bag. It is not personal information, even though it feels very very personal.

On the general principle, it is truly vile and heinous, just like the fakes they produce.

I wish we could force them to take it down, but on the other hand, is the existence of this set of photos on their stupid fake purse forum with no members worth hurting the real Purse Forum that Vlad and Megs and all the mods have worked so hard to create for us???

I hope members will continue to post photos of their collections.
Vlad, Megs, I am sorry this happened. I really am.
 
#66
CB you totally did the right thing. This thread just serves as an important reminder to us all that we must be careful what we post and share as there are unscrupulous idiots out there who will steal pics in a flash.
 
#68
Guess..as they say in Hollywood, The Show Must Go on!:tup:

Imitation is a form of flattery!:p

Bad publicity is still a publicity!:rolleyes: (look at BS!:p)

...and so and so! IMO, There is no sense getting affected..The MODS have done all the best they could do to protect PF and its members!

Lets All Fly The Kite and Have Fun!:wlae:
 
#69
I don't normally post in here but one thing that annoys me over all others is when fake sellers steal pics of authentic things to sell their crap!
I had someone steal a pic of my Chanel earrings, then put them on ebay and act like they were selling them! They altered my whole picture and put an arrow pointing to the pair they were "selling" and they got up to about $100 (and of course, the buyer would be getting a pair of fakes)!
Anyway, I hope people do continue to post but ALWAYS watermark their pics! I learned my lesson the hard way.

And a big thank you to Megs and Vlad for creating this great site!
 
#72
It is really sad that this happens, but it does. The best advice we can offer you all is to watermark every picture you post here. Slap it right in the middle of your picture. You can say your screen name at tPF or just your screen name. That way people can not remove the watermark. If someone uses it to sell a fake bag, this is your best shot of notifying buyers that it is a fake site.

As for using a serive such a photobucket etc... that is perfectly fine, if you do not go and delete pictures. Deleting these pictures, like Vlad said, leaves us with post upon post of nothing. Blank spaces in reference libraries, blank posts in big threads... We have to go and find these posts and delete them. That is really not the best option and we really do not appreciate when that happens- it is frustrating for the mods and Vlad and I.

When it comes to pictures you have to remember that the internet is open to everyone. People can find these posts and save these pictures. Even if you use an outside source, these pictures can still be saved- even if you delete them. It really makes no difference. Vlad and I do have a lawyer that helps with site issues as they arise, but in this scenario we really do not have much of an option.

I know how much it sucks that it happens, it happens to me EVERYDAY, but as the internet forms new laws as it grows, hopefully we can start to take care of issues like this better :yes:
 
#74
I do agree with what Meggs & Vlad say. We should watermark our pictures with PF on it, if they keep using these pictures and look at the forum here, they will find out the truth.

The moment you download any webpage from the internet, the pictures are saved in your computer (history), that way they still can save pictures and use them any way they like it, it doesn't matter where they are actually located.
 
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