GAH! Boss wants to steal Images now........ADVICE

[Tsmalldon]

Hi Everyone,

not only does my boss wish to steal competitors product he now has given me printed marketing material from another company and asked me to extract the images for our own use. (Because were too cheap to get our own photos taken/purchased)

Now im not totally up on copyright laws but im pretty sure this is a violation. Why would a company pay thousands for professional photography, only to have someone steal it for free?

If anyone has a little excerpt from Copyright Law that I can read to him to prove my point that would be great, ive looked but cant seem to find anything specifically related to this matter.

Im losing my mind with these people and there loose moral values.

Trevor

[gluhen]

From http://www.copyright.gov/, this is something about what copyright infringement entails.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap5.html#506

If you have time, at work or otherwise, I would strongly suggest reading up on copyright laws (since this seems to happen a lot).

Hope that helps!

[Riya]

Aside from the copyright issue, there is a technical issue that is going to prevent you from scanning and using these images. A printed image has a halftone pattern, right? So if you scan it and use it, when you get it printed another halftone pattern is going to be added on top of it. This will give the image a moray pattern, making it look muddy or blotchy.
I don't think your boss cares a whit about copyright laws. This may get you off the hook until your boss comes up with another "money saving" scheme. I'd be dusting off the portfolio if I were you.

[Tsmalldon]

Ya I can tell him about the halftoning until im blue in the face, and they just look at me like...... wha? why cant you just use the image, looks fine to me........then I explain and explain some more.........they dont care.

Also you are correct, he doesnt care about Copyright Laws one bit.......but if I go along with his "schemes" does he get sued or do I?

Trevor

[Riya]

Both. You may be able to cover your ass by getting him to sign something that holds you harmless, but that may or may not hold up in court. I'm not a lawyer, but you may want to talk to one about that.

Something else to consider: even if you are not sued there is a very good chance that a lawsuit against him can make you unemployable in this field. Potential employers will google you, check out past employers, etc, and if there is a lawsuit, it will show up. Who wants to hire a designer who may have been invovled in copyright infringement? I would get out of there, and get out fast.

[gluhen]

Who wants to hire a designer who may have been invovled in copyright infringement? I would get out of there, and get out fast.

This is a really good point. You should jump off that sinking ship.

[Logo-Mechanix]

I agree with everything that was just let me add something here. If the owner of my company wanted me to do something like this I would of course inform him that it is against the law etc...Now if he told he didn't care do it anyway or your out of job, well lets be realistic here, I have a house, a mortgage, and three kids. I wouldn't want to do it and I would certainly begin looking for another job but I would have to do it to in order to keep my job. I would imagine if you were threatened or if it was even suggested in some off hand way that you might loose your job by refusing I would imagine you would not be held liable. But hey, I'm no lawyer so take it with a grain of salt.

[PrintDriver]

And what makes him think his competitor doesn't check the competition's marketing materials. Tell him all it takes is for the competition to check and he will be out thousands of dollars in print material, and maybe tens or even hundreds of thousands in copyright infringement charges. Depending on who the competitor is and how beefy their legal dept is, he could get whacked but good. Awards of over $10k are quite common when a business identity/product/reputation is involved. Using another company's images, and using them from one that is in the same business your boss is in, only makes the damages award higher.

I'm no lawyer.

[D-Frag]

find another job, seriously, this guy is a ****ing tool

[reuber1]

find another job, seriously, this guy is a ****ing tool
QFE

[D-Frag]

QFE?

sorry, not up on my HaXX0r speak

[reuber1]

lol, sorry, 'quoted for emphasis.' First time I saw that when someone quoted something I said and put 'QFE,' I thought they were calling me a queef.

[frankster]

What does HaXX0r mean? Someone give me some quick reference for this nonsense. I'm rapidly feeling very un-hip and not at all down with the kids, which at only 28 is shameful.

[D-Frag]

ha, fankster im 29, so don't feel bad. Thx for the clarification Roobs!

and frankster, haxxor, is slang for hacker, which is slang for nerd, which is slang for loner, which is slang for WOW player, which is slang for ......nvm

[Derfie]

What does HaXX0r mean? Someone give me some quick reference for this nonsense. I'm rapidly feeling very un-hip and not at all down with the kids, which at only 28 is shameful.

Don't feel too bad, I'll be 29 next week, and I like to think I'm still hip, but it takes me forever to type a text message on my phone! I was also wondering about Haxx0r myself.

About the topic, I would look for another job too, people like that never change.

[Logo-Mechanix]

I still don't understand the whole texting thing in the first place, wouldn't it just be easier to call?

[reuber1]

Don't feel too bad, I'll be 29 next week, and I like to think I'm still hip, but it takes me forever to type a text message on my phone! I was also wondering about Haxx0r myself.

About the topic, I would look for another job too, people like that never change.
I'm 24 and rarely use that kind of speak. Even when I'm using AIM or whatever messenger, usually 'lol' is about the furthest I go, or 'K' instead of 'OK.' I picked up QFE though from a forum that used that liberally (mainly because very few people had ideas of their own, laughing out loud).

And logo, I agree, if I'm on a phone I'll just call the person. I've never used the text function on my phone once in the three years I've had it.

[D-Frag]

texting is the shiznit, srsly, i mean you can have a convo with your friends, while your having a brown baby boy, and they can't hear you ploppin one in the ol' tubor.

but really though, I mainly text when its loud where I am at, like a bar, or the studio or something. when i met my GF, we sent some crazy amount like 800+ texts in one month, wild times

[reuber1]

texting is the shiznit, srsly, i mean you can have a convo with your friends, while your having a brown baby boy, and they can't hear you ploppin one in the ol' tubor.
TMI!

[Virgo Nightingale]

I really hate when people use the two-way radio feature on their phones in a public place to have a full-on conversation. It's bad enough I have to listen to one side of a conversation, and with these things you hear both sides. I don't want to listen in on your 'phone' conversation. Besides, you are on a phone – why can't you CALL THE PERSON!

[Tsmalldon]

We have those two way radios and its free to "walkeyt talkey" but a phone call costs and since my boss is a (insert appropriate term here) hes not fond of paying for phone calls if he doesnt have to, rather hed annoy everyone in site.

[ecsyle]

I still don't understand the whole texting thing in the first place, wouldn't it just be easier to call?
Why call if you only have one small thing to say? It's faster and more efficient to just send a text. I don't have to waste time waiting for them to pick up, just to tell them something that isn't really that important to begin with.

[PrintDriver]

Obviously you've never lived with a work Nextel. Some of them are radio-only.
But I shut mine off in public. Usually.

[Drawing a Blank]

Why call if you only have one small thing to say? It's faster and more efficient to just send a text. I don't have to waste time waiting for them to pick up, just to tell them something that isn't really that important to begin with.

I see your point, but if it is just one small thing and it is not that important can't it wait until you talk to them next?
<<Cool only one more post until the apocolypse!

[Virgo Nightingale]

Well then, I hope you never post again!:D

[Drawing a Blank]

Well then, I hope you never post again!:D

Thanks a lot.
.....oh carp

[hewligan]

I see your point, but if it is just one small thing and it is not that important can't it wait until you talk to them next?
<<Cool only one more post until the apocolypse!

>> Pub at 6?

>> Yup.

See. Faster and cheaper by text.

[D-Frag]

http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/7379/kvrtrainderailedhw3.jpg

[hewligan]

Because normally we all stay completely on topic? ;)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Totally.

[D-Frag]

haha, hey you said it, i just provided the visuals! ;)

[budafist]

I text. Calls are expensive around here (a few dollars a call) and texting (20 cents max) means that my friends can read and reply when they are ready to. Its definately better to text student friends too. They're not pleased when they're in a lecture and they forgot to turn off their phone! Haha. I do call them in class when I'm at work and calling is free...haha.

[hewligan]

Well, as long as we're staying on topic in our usual fashion - What are you having for lunch Buda?

That is our usual definition of on-topic, right? :D

[ecsyle]

I see your point, but if it is just one small thing and it is not that important can't it wait until you talk to them next?
<<Cool only one more post until the apocolypse!
Sometimes my gf and I just send quick cheesy texts to each other. It doesnt require a response, but it's nice to get them. Sometimes I just have to text a few people so they know where I will be at 9 on friday night, or whatever. I hate talking on the phone, so this works better. I don't talk to my friends/family every day.

[budafist]

Well, as long as we're staying on topic in our usual fashion - What are you having for lunch Buda?

That is our usual definition of on-topic, right? :D

Leftovers today. Last night I cooked kumara, mushrooms, onions, garlic, capsicum and broccoli in butter chicken sauce and coconut cream. Served with rice of course.

What!?! No meat?!? That's what my boyfriend said too. :p

[budafist]

Sometimes my gf and I just send quick cheesy texts to each other. It doesnt require a response, but it's nice to get them. Sometimes I just have to text a few people so they know where I will be at 9 on friday night, or whatever. I hate talking on the phone, so this works better. I don't talk to my friends/family every day.


We do that too :) I don't want to call him just to tell him that he's a silly koala and I love him, but a text will do just nicely. :p

[hewligan]

Leftovers today. Last night I cooked kumara, mushrooms, onions, garlic, capsicum and broccoli in butter chicken sauce and coconut cream. Served with rice of course.

What!?! No meat?!? That's what my boyfriend said too. :p

That souds awesome. Much better than the sandwiches I'll be eating :(

Sometimes I cook vegetarian food for people just to see the shock in their faces when they realise that vegetarian food can actually be good.

Not that there's any danger of me giving up meat, you understand...

[budafist]

That souds awesome. Much better than the sandwiches I'll be eating :(

Sometimes I cook vegetarian food for people just to see the shock in their faces when they realise that vegetarian food can actually be good.

Not that there's any danger of me giving up meat, you understand...

Same here. Though all we had in stock were sausages and I don't think sausages would have gone so good with that curry.

Did I mentioned that I had a go at baking the other night?! I think I freaked out my bf just a little. I don't do baking. I just don't. Previous tries have ended up in heartbreak. But with some determination in mind and some hunting online for a "no fail" recipe, the baking was a success! I made a raspberry and apple pudding. Twas good.

[hewligan]

Same here. Though all we had in stock were sausages and I don't think sausages would have gone so good with that curry.

Did I mentioned that I had a go at baking the other night?! I think I freaked out my bf just a little. I don't do baking. I just don't. Previous tries have ended up in heartbreak. But with some determination in mind and some hunting online for a "no fail" recipe, the baking was a success! I made a raspberry and apple pudding. Twas good.

Well curried sausages can be pretty good, but you probably wouldn't want a butter chicken type sauce.

I'm a little afraid of taking up baking. It might result in massive waist expansion.

[PrintDriver]

I must have a mailbox full of text messages. Don't know how to access them. Or send em. Seems silly to send text when you can just say "hey" into the Nextel.

[hewligan]

Money, money, money.

My understanding is that text messages never really took off in the US because you have relatively cheap voice calls, anyway. In most of the rest of the world, though, the price difference is much bigger.

[budafist]

If you have a text message you phone should beep and tell you. My phone only holds about 15 messages so after that, it will just beep but no new messages will come up on your phone.

[hewligan]

15 messages?

Buda, your phone must be older than you are :D

[budafist]

Well, it doesn't have a camera or a coloured screen on it. I've got a digital camera and I certainly see a coloured screen enough hours in a day.

[fredrich]

Well, it doesn't have a camera or a coloured screen on it. I've got a digital camera and I certainly see a coloured screen enough hours in a day.
Keep it in a safe place. One day you can sell it on ebay. ;)
I've never throwed my old mobile phone when I bought a new one. Still have my first, and favourite of all time, Nokia 5110. (Well, actually my first was a Philips Twist, but it sucked so bad I'm ashamed of mentioning it).

[CatintheHat1]

Keep it in a safe place. One day you can sell it on ebay. ;)
I've never throwed my old mobile phone when I bought a new one. Still have my first, and favourite of all time, Nokia 5110. (Well, actually my first was a Philips Twist, but it sucked so bad I'm ashamed of mentioning it).

Bah. I dragged a video game system around since the 1970s and it was worth about $20 when I last checked. I donated it to ValueVillage.

I did however, buy a weird looking doll for $1 at a yard sale and sold it for about $750 Canadian (around $500 US at the time, I think) on eBay. Nice profit. It was an original Kenner Blythe doll.

I do have gay Ken though, still in the box with the receipt. Too many of them around, though. But I've grown attached.

[budafist]

I can't buy toys and not take them out of the box to play with them.

[Virgo Nightingale]

You are so bad... :D

[fredrich]

Bah. I dragged a video game system around since the 1970s and it was worth about $20 when I last checked. I donated it to ValueVillage.

I did however, buy a weird looking doll for $1 at a yard sale and sold it for about $750 Canadian (around $500 US at the time, I think) on eBay. Nice profit. It was an original Kenner Blythe doll.

I do have gay Ken though, still in the box with the receipt. Too many of them around, though. But I've grown attached.

Bought the first number (first published in 2000) of a local comic magazine a year ago for about 50 USD. At the time, I saw the magazine being sold for about 115 USD at the same auction place. Just going to let it "marinate" for a while before I try to sell it.

[Drazan]

I never really got the concept of collector dolls or other memorbilia. "stuff" doesn't really have a value to me. I'd rather go visit some far-way place or invest in techie stuff that I truly enjoy. That and I live in a small place.

[urstwile]

I'm with you on that Drazan.

[hewligan]

Well, I'm not much of a traveller, but other than that, I'll throw in a "me too."