Would love to help you out with the stealing of photos. I take photos of my models and have the parents sign model releases. One of my first employees took my photos (from training, after I had let her go) and posted them in her booth at a fair that I was working at, under her banner, as if they were her work. At the same time, she had cut up Chantal the fairy's book and posted those designs as well. I didn't care that she was misrepresenting her talents, since I teach face painting and anyone is welcome to use my designs. She needed to live with herself passing off my artwork as hers, and the client's reaction when she could not paint as well or provide the same level of detail. However, the real crime was that she used my models and one of them was my own daughter (how stupid is that..), and none of those parents had given permission for her to use their child's image in her advertising. The local judge saw this as a grave invasion of privacy and ordered her to return the photos. If she had not, she would have been issued a citation for invasion of a child's right to privacy and also, endangering the welfare of a child (the two go hand in hand due to internet crimes involving children). Since lawyers and photographers and criminal filing charges were involved, I pursued her for the financial considerations to stop her actions and won.
Copyright laws are serious business, and if you can get a lawyer to pursue it, you should do so. If you have model releases from the models in your photos, any court officer should see it the way this judge did. After all, how long did it take you to develop the pictures and the designs; ask yourself if it fair for her to not expend the same effort? If she granted you credit for the work, it is a different story. When I first started (for 6 months or so, I used others pictures from books and magazines and the like. I stuck with a few artists that were very well known, that I could copy readily. I always labeled the pictures as "original artwork by: artist name" In a few months I had pictures of my own, and model releases for every one of them. Good luck, email me off list if you need more information. Now offering Balloon Twisters, Caricaturists, Glitter,Henna and Airbrush Tattoos, BODY PAINTING, Glamour Parties and Prenatal Belly Painting http://www.bellafacciapainting.com <http://www.bellafacciapainting.com/> Contact me today to book 973-252-9140 Let Bella Faccia make your event more magical! --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Face Painting and Body Art Association." This is a PG-13 forum dedicated to the discussion of Face Painting and Body Art. This group is provided for the benefit of all and as such is not moderated. Our goal is to promote open and unrestricted communication between people interested in face painting and body art. We hope that you will be courteous to others and try to stay on topic. You are free to offer products or services related to face painting as well. Please address concerns with the original poster before contacting the management. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/fpba-assn -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
