Paul, I had not thought thru the ramifications of what I suggested, especially the commercial opportunities. I think you are very right with the suggestion to agressively defend your content.
Regards, Bob S. I wrote: >> In any case, I would complain to the offender and then let it go. << Paul added: >>That is probably the easiest path, and certainly the least stressful. But if one >truely wishes to protect their intellectual property, it is a fatal mistake. This >leads to more widespread abuse and dilutes the value of that which you are trying to >protect. If Dimitrov sells or wishes to sell his work, he will find it difficult to >command a proper value for it when it has been freely used far and wide. I admit >this to be a somewhat philosophical argument but it comes down to personal value >systems. For me, even though my web site images are not particularly stunning, and the subjects are far from "socially redeeming" (I feature mainly toy cars and Jeeps in the woods), there are several markets for this type of work. By agressively protecting it, I have been able to expect and receive decent compensation any time my images are used. This has led to contracts to illustrate toy books, the ongoing responsibility to write several magazine articles per month, and compensation for the use of images on my site and made for hire, in related publications. If I ignore what is at times widespread abuse of my site content, I will not have had the same bargaining power when negotiating the price of my work. This is a basic principle of doing this stuff for a living. If you are just dabbling, don't ever want to be getting paid, or don't really care where your work shows up, then a brief complaint and letting it go is OK. But it does not convey how much you value your own work, and substantially diminishes your value in the market. Dimitrov, your site is a sparkling example of how to dispense information on a topic. No matter what your professional aspirations may be, I encourage you to protect your content if for no other reason that to make a statement of what your work is worth to you. ppro � 2002 Paul M. Provencher All Rights Reserved. May not be used without Permission ( smiling ) << - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
