Copyright Infringement

[burgyeb]

I did not find a post for this, so I am posting it. If you live in the USA you should look this over. The Congress has before them right now legislation that will allow our government to shut down websites at the slightest accusation of copyright infringement.There are two proposed laws called the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. (SOPA and PIPA). The laws will force sites like You Tube to go to new lengths to police users' contributions, and put people in prison for streaming certain content online.
Copyright law says that you can in no way, shape or form copy any copyrighted material. Actually, we are probably not supposed to take pictures of the books, records or anything that is copyrighted and post to our stores. This could really hurt sales. If you live in the USA, go to www.stopcensorship.org and sign the petition if you are against this law.

I do not worry about laws put into place to protect people who work hard designing their websites, photos, etc. If people are doing what they are suppose to do (do your own stuff) or use materials they are authorized to use by business agreements, they do not have to worry about the law.

There are too many out their violating copywrite laws, thumbing their noses, knowing that not much will be done to stop them in many cases. Those offended often do not have the financial muscle to take on the offenders. So maybe laws put into effect will help put some teeth in enforcing copywrite protection of online materials.

[terry5732]

My second biggest complaint with the 'new' front page here is the cheesy stock photos across the top

[KAYS6912]

Definitly. I never trust buying from sellers who only use an obvious "stock" photo anyway, so thats another reason to do your own information. On the other side a couple of years ago, I had a spate of people buying things then complaining that I had sent them the item in the photo rather than some different edition.
They just assumed that every item photo was a "stock" photo- even though its pretty easy to tell whats a seller-taen photo and what is a stock photo. Once I added the disclaimer "The item you are bidding on is the item in the photograph" to my listings, the problems stopped instantly.

I wonder what will happen to pre-filled information if say on here or the other side you input, say, a book ISBN and it loads pre-filled information to your listing?

I do my utmost to take my own photographs - but there are times when it's just not possible. I was selling a bale of towels and had I unwrapped it to take pics, there is no way on this earth I'd have gotten it back together and made it look presentable. There are times in the past when I have literally spent HOURS trying to get decent photos of items and it just hasn't worked, so I've used stock pics. I do try to remember to put a note in the description that I have in fact used a stock picture and the reason why.

As for not trusting sellers who use stock pics; well, I'd tend to think twice re a seller not writing a description and using only a picture - stock or otherwise. Each to their own though!

[bykimbo]

I do my utmost to take my own photographs - but there are times when it's just not possible. I was selling a bale of towels and had I unwrapped it to take pics, there is no way on this earth I'd have gotten it back together and made it look presentable. There are times in the past when I have literally spent HOURS trying to get decent photos of items and it just hasn't worked, so I've used stock pics. I do try to remember to put a note in the description that I have in fact used a stock picture and the reason why.

As for not trusting sellers who use stock pics; well, I'd tend to think twice re a seller not writing a description and using only a picture - stock or otherwise. Each to their own though!

Exactly so, there are all sorts of clues one can use when choosing a seller. Poor feedback, no description, silly prices, no upfront shipping costs... lots of things can put people off. People just need to be aware that stock photos *can* be one of them in certain circumstances. Then you make your choice about where your time and energy goes.

[bykimbo]

@bykimbo

I guess I am a little frustrated with the amount of sales I am getting; which ironically is ZERO. I guess I need to plug more items in. It seems that if I meet that 1,000 item mark I should be clear with multiple sales. I then see that quite a few people just joined eBid and they are already making sales off the bat... and no you are not a bloody idiot. You have indeed be very helpful since I have joined. I just need some suggestions of how to successfully sell on eBid and make my postings look at least halfway decent. I see many postings with templates added to add some "pop". I have been working with web design for quite some time but the principles don't seem to apply to the listings quite right.... any ideas?

John C.
Cheapstudent

Templates can help make a listing looking more attractive, and can reinforce your brand. They are also very useful for including repeat information such as payment rules and shipping details etc. However, they are no substitute for an accurate and informative description - just a nice way of presenting that. I haven't looked at your listings, so this may be something you're already doing expertly but my line would be: concentrate on getting a really informative, positive description written (negativity kills a sale stone dead IMO). If you want a template to use here my personal recommendations (since I stopped doing them myself due to lack of time ) would be Gothicina and JewelEffects, either of whom would be able to put together a listing template tailored to your precise needs at an affordable price, I'm sure.

[burgyeb]

I do my utmost to take my own photographs - but there are times when it's just not possible. I was selling a bale of towels and had I unwrapped it to take pics, there is no way on this earth I'd have gotten it back together and made it look presentable. There are times in the past when I have literally spent HOURS trying to get decent photos of items and it just hasn't worked, so I've used stock pics. I do try to remember to put a note in the description that I have in fact used a stock picture and the reason why.

As for not trusting sellers who use stock pics; well, I'd tend to think twice re a seller not writing a description and using only a picture - stock or otherwise. Each to their own though!

I do not have a problem with someone using a stock photo, as long as they mention it in their description. There are many sites that offer free stock photos that they encourage others to use. So no copywrite infringement occurs in this case. There are also many businesses that allow you to download their catalog pics and details if you sell through them. There is no copywrite infringement either in this case, as it is by mutual agreement.

Have seen some eBid sellers who dropship, do it very professionally. They are very transparent in their description, and I would have no problem purchasing from them.

I'm without a camera now and have not been listing with new pics. It was damaged while traveling and I'm trying to wait it out to see if I will be compensated with a new one. So I know there are times when you need to use stock photos.

[JaBek1]

Copyright law can be somewhat of a complicated affair. I always include a copyright notice in all my listings although it isn't strictly required under the latest copyright act. Of course, someone wishing to use material bearing a copyright notice without permission is running a serious risk not knowing if the owner has registered the piece or not. While the copyright protection exists without the piece being registered, infringement in the case of a registered copyright can carry a hefty price tag for the one caught infringing as it allows the collection of punitive damages as well as actual damages.

Back in the days when I engaged in photography to earn a living, it was a relatively simple thing bind together proof sheets into albums and register them as unpublished collections for a reasonable fee. And many old time freelancers protected their stock photos in order to secure that portion of their retirement income represented by their stock photo library.

[deepdiscounts]

i purchase large pallets of inventory from dept. stores and i am given their "stock" photos to use. so i have no problem using them. the photos are the actual items i am selling, so i don't think there is a problem here. when i have items with no photos, then i dress the mannequins and take my own photos. but if i have a photo, which looks 100% better than any photo i could take, why wouldn't i use it? just my 2 cents.

[JaBek1]

i purchase large pallets of inventory from dept. stores and i am given their "stock" photos to use. so i have no problem using them. the photos are the actual items i am selling, so i don't think there is a problem here. when i have items with no photos, then i dress the mannequins and take my own photos. but if i have a photo, which looks 100% better than any photo i could take, why wouldn't i use it? just my 2 cents.

There is nothing wrong with using stock photos of new items provided you have the permission of the owner of the rights to use it. Of course, the problem arises when you don't have that rights owners permission. Too often there are those that, in a well intentioned gesture, will hand out promotional copies of photos meant for in-store use to which they do not own the rights to publication. While unintentional, it could lead to infringement complications so beware.

Oh! Don't forget to consider the need for model releases from any recognizable people in photos you use for advertising and commercial purposes.

[artgalaxy]

remember anything that is 50 years after the death of the "maker" is in the public use area of the law . Disney was the only company to side step this as they petitioned 'the powers that be' for obvious reasons