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Graham

Hmmm...

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Oh my! Well, the blog is definitely a slam of the book, but a praise to your flies. (Incredible, BTW) Apparently the flies fooled the author -- didn't know caddis grew a hook out their butt. Evolution?

 

Did you give photo permissions for the book? I'm assuming not, so, yes, what are you going to do about it?

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I don't know California law, but I would suggest you contact an attorney who knows about copyrights, etc. perhaps also file a cease and desist against the "author" to prevent any loss of rights for the photos...

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Funny thing is, those pics were taken years ago with my old point and shoot. And very few people notice the red spider has a size 22 realistic midge in the front pinchers.

 

The reason I bought my Nikon was to re-take photos of all of my flies, instead I've been outdoors chasing birds and fish. But Will Milne's fly photography is very much inspiring me to get cracking on the macros.

 

About the copied photos, I doubt there are pockets deep enough to be worth the time, energy and expense required to open them. But I'll look into it.

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In some cases I've found that the threat of litigation is enough to solve the problem. Sometimes even a letter to the publisher explaining that the photos are NOT public domain might result in a favorable resolution. :dunno:

 

(Disclaimer: the above is NOT legal advice, simply my opinion. I claim no responsibility for any outcome of this discussion. ) B)

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You're probably right Graham - unless you've registered the copyright with the Library of Congress, the amount you'd get (assuming you prevailed) wouldn't be worth the trouble. Copyright begins (in photography) when an image is captured on film or a sensor, but unless it's duly registered, your rights to collect damages are very limited.

 

Full Disclosure: I am not an attorney, have never been one, have no desire to become one, and would rather host a Hell's Angels Disco Night in my living room than be seen talking to one. I have, however, seen every episode of Law and Order at least five times, which would probably be more than enough to pass the bar exam in most states.

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The more I think about it the bigger my smile gets. If my realistic bugs won't get to decieve fish, at least I can get a bit of satisfaction, when they fool people.

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Yeah, it's probably good for a laugh - like they used to say in Hollywood, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Didn't seem like anybody's making money from it and the reviews were pretty good. Very good in fact.

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Graham,

 

Speak with your attorney. My guess is that a letter from your attorney to the book's publisher will, at the very least, heighten their willingness to write you a generous butt-covering check.

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine returned home from an archery expo with a handbill created by one of the nation's leading recurve-bow manufacturers. It had a photo of a famous archer on it. The friend noticed the similarity between the handbill's photo and one I had published in a national magazine.

 

Turns out the marketing people at the company had scanned the image straight from the pages of the magazine. I sent the company a letter asking for $500. They asked for provenance that the image was mine. I provided it; they wrote me a check posthaste.

 

I honestly think you should raise a bit of a stink about this. As a writer and photographer, I abhor the theft of intellectual property. If you can spare the time, you ought to at least make 'em sweat a bit.

 

All the best,

John

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Geez, I stand corrected. Sorry about that - I thought it was just a forum steal, didn't realize a book was involved. (Gotta stop this late-night surfing and get more sleep lol) John is right - it woudn't hurt to raise a little fuss. Also, I believe the Library of Congress has a website that can take you through the steps of registering your copyrighted material. Once it's registered, anybody who lifts it will be taking one hell of a chance. Very few people in the fine art field bothered much with registering unpublished material pre-internet, but nowadays if you're posting quality hi-rez stuff, somebody's gonna steal it. Just using a watermark and thinking you're safe is like putting up a sign in the garden when you really need a deer fence.

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The more I think about it the bigger my smile gets. If my realistic bugs won't get to decieve fish, at least I can get a bit of satisfaction, when they fool people.

 

My grandfather use to look at my old spinning lures and say "that looks like it fools the fisherman more than the fish."

 

Hey, if nothing else, you might be able to get a free copy of the book! that would be pretty cool to show off to people.....oh, but a $100,000 check could be more impressive.

 

 

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Graham-

 

I know of this guy, he's a nut in many ways, it's one thing to believe in something, it's another to publish disinformation to prove your point. My understanding is that this guy has deeper pockets than you might think, he's supported by a lot of religious organizations, and a lot of people have paid a LOT of money for this book. Find a good lawyer, even if you don't want the money, someone needs to teach this guy a lesson about where he steals photos from.

 

Good luck

 

Ryan

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