This was posted by the wonderful moderator of BV jburgh , since it is related to the subject that you are discussing I wanted to share with you.
Please note it was also posted in the ebay forum:
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For those of you that sell on Ebay, there is a new UNANNOUNCED policy effective 8/31/09, regarding PHOTOS. (This policy applies even if you use a 3rd party hosting service)
Ebay is developing a "catalog" of photos. The sales pitch is that the seller will have more exposure hence more sales by opting in....I telephoned Ebay today for clarification and was told the following: If your photos are "chosen" for the "catalog" YOUR photos will be available to other EBAY MEMBERS for their use....
Therefore, other sellers can use YOUR photos to sell THEIR Hermes scarves...
Your Ebay defaults are currently set to "OPT IN" to the program. You must change your setting in order to OPT OUT...
If you leave your settings as they are, you are opting in to the program and giving Ebay permission to share your photos with other users....
Warning: Ebay will be using photos without creators' permission.
Again, the default for this setting is YES, you have opted in. Meaning "Yes, I will allow eBay to make my photos available for anyone to use."
If you do not want eBay to make the photos you upload to all of your future auctions available to other users, you need to change your settings NOW, before August 31st. If you opt out after then, any photos you upload between the 31st and when you opt out will still be eligible for inclusion in their "catalog."
In order to opt out do the following:
1) Go to your eBay summary page ("My eBay").
2) On the left-hand side, there are three tabs that say "Activity," "Messages," and "Account." Hover your mouse over the "Account" tab.
3) A drop-down list will appear. Move your mouse down to "Site Preferences" and click.
4) You will be taken to a page with a list of site options for selling, shipping, and listing. Sixth from the top is "Share your Photos." Click on the word "show" on the right hand side next to this option.
5) The box will expand, and if you are opted in, "yes" will appear. If you are opted out, "no" will appear. A small "edit" link will appear below the "show" link. If you want to change the settings, click "edit."
6) You will be taken to a new page with the following text: If you'd like to opt-out of this program, please do so by checking this box and clicking the "submit" button below.
If you opt-out before August 31, 2009, none of your photos will be considered for inclusion in this program unless you opt back in at a later time.
If you opt-out after August 31, 2009, any photos we select for inclusion in this program prior to your opt-out may continue to be used in the catalog.
7) If you want to opt out of the program, check the box on the left-hand side next to the text, then go down and click the "submit" button.
8) Return back to the settings screen you were just on, and there will be a green checkmark and a confirmation message. Go down to the "Share your Photos" option again and click "show." Your setting should now appear as "no."
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