Ebay seller takes my image off ebay then selling it as a reprint without my permission
I bought an original photograph with a hand written caption from an eBay seller. A few weeks later, another eBay seller is selling a reprint of that same image (with the handwritten caption) he copied off eBay. I messaged him through eBay that he had no permission of using my image, and got no answer (he even put a watermark on the image to keep others from stealing it, though he stole it some me). I contacted eBay over a week ago about the matter without any follow up, and this seller still has it listed. So, what do I do? Or is this something eBay allows now?
5 comments
maeday76
·1 year agoIf the inscription makes your image unique, and the artist hasn't/won't make another like it, then when it was sold to you THAT image (with inscription) became YOUR property. Copies of the exact same piece and inscription sold without permission are in violation of your right to a singular, original work.
You have the law on your side, unfortunately eBay and the artist have to step up for it to matter.
I'm so sorry. It's brutal to see your art or possessions taken by strangers.
Thought for food:
Buy the thief's cheapest item and get their address. Then every 6 months send a cryptic note or item. Do it for years. You won't get your copies back, but I'm sure it won't be worth the confusion and frustration the thief feels on a purgatorial, bi-annual basis.
melda58
·1 year agoEven thought you own the original photograph, I don't think that you own the image. The photographer does I believe. So you may not have any recourse. Is the seller from whom you purchased the photograph aware that the image was copied and is being sold as a reprint?
Rita
clarkmikew6pcl
OP1 year agoThank you for your response. I made the eBay seller who I bought it from aware that another eBay seller copied it from their listing. They were sympathetic, apologized for not putting a "do not copy" on the image or a watermark, but said that they could do little about on their end (except add "do not copy" on future listings). If there was an exact image of mine listed by another seller, I may not know if it was just another copy out there. But, my image had a hand written caption on it, which is on the reprint the other seller is trying to sell, so, I know he copied it from the seller I bought it from. Also, he is using the same listing description as the first seller, which was in error.
melda58
·1 year agoWithout knowing the subject or anything else about your photograph and the inscription, I would just say that an original is almost always more collectible and valuable than a reprint, but I do understand why seeing copies of your original being sold is distressing.
Rita
sonomabarn67
·1 year agoI just read that the Swedish pop group ABBA was asking for a politician to quit using their music for a political campaign without their permission. Sounds like the same kind of thing. The depths that some will sink to is just unfathomable.