ArmenPress, RFE/RL Copyright Infringement
ArmenPress have once again infringed my copyright by using an image I took during the 2005 referendum to accompany a story on the May parliamentary election. This is the second time I’ve noticed use of my images without permission and had to post something. The last time they did this was last year, but it also follows a more recent case of copyright infringement, but this time by RFE/RL. The latter used an image of mine taken at the funeral of Andranik Markarian last month without the right credit, and they still haven’t rectified the situation although I’ve requested they do so immediately.
Richard Giragosian, the author of that article, has said he’s sent two emails to them requesting they credit the photo properly after I pointed out an improperly credited use of a photo I never authorized them to use anyway, but nothing has been changed. It still amazes me how such publications think they can just take other people’s work and use it as if it were their own. Given that fees for use of photos is so low here, it’s not a matter of money. However, if these publications are going to use my photos for free they can at least credit it me.
Well, while I’ve mentioned ArmenPress, I suppose I might as well quote from their news item on the police and the voters list.
YEREVAN, APRIL 10, ARMENPRESS: A top police officer urged yesterday his country fellows, non-governmental organizations and political parties to scrutinize voters lists and report all inaccuracies, if they find such, to police departments which are in charge of compiling these lists.
Deputy chief of police Ararat Mahtesian said the police and several other government agencies had done a great deal of job to specify voter lists, but admitted that findings of some non-governmental organizations and the March 25 mayoral election in the town of Armavir demonstrated that these lists are still far from being perfect.
Mahtesian said police has opened two hot-line telephone numbers for reporting voter list inaccuracies.
The majority of these inaccuracies, he said, are presence in the voter lists the names of deceased peoples and young men who are called up to mandatory military service.
Given this lack of regard for intellectual property I suppose I should reluctantly now watermark my images. Anyway.
The RFE/RL caption under the photo says ‘official site’. I wonder which official site they refer to.
Comment by nazarian — April 11, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
Nazarian, not mine, that’s for sure
Anyway, yes, it did occur to me that a Government site might have swiped the image, but even so, RFE/RL have been alerted to the fact that it’s source is not as credited and I sent links along to the original to prove it.
Anyway.
Comment by Onnik — April 11, 2007 @ 11:52 pm
Finally I have a response from RFE/RL:
Comment by Onnik — May 4, 2007 @ 12:54 am