Plumbers stealing my photos.

JohnNY

I'm a Master Plumber and owner of Gateway Plumbing and Heating in New York and Toro Plumbing and Mechanical in New Jersey. This company, All Week Heating, is using a picture I took of a boiler installation my company performed several years ago and trying to pass it off as their own work on the front page of their website. I just placed a call to their main number and am sending a link and screenshot to my attorney. Let's see what they have to say.
Is this the company you want to hire?

https://allweekheating.com/steam-boiler-repair-installation-service.html

mattmia2

It is like one of those we fed 1000 hours of something to an "AI" memes.

Good luck. I'm not even sure how you would go about stopping this without expending a disproportionate amount of time and money. Maybe try the BBB and the attorney general.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@JohnNY

Obviously they couldn't post a picture of one of their own jobs that probably look like crap.

Make it hurt!

That's a pretty dirty thing to do

realliveplumber

They are required by law to display their master plumbing and hvacr license number on all advertising, and vehicles. Is it on the website? I didn't see it.

The 2 state boards (plumbing and hvacr) take that very seriously.

JUGHNE

FWIW, Steve Lav..."She's a leaker, Mama!"....said he had someone claim some of his Utube videos as their own. IDK what he did about it, but he now copyrights all his videos and runs his name across the screen once in awhile.

HVACNUT

That's just plain wrong. And not too much self worth on their part. I wonder if they'll be at all embarrassed, or it's just par for the course for them. 

WMno57

@JohnNY
These guys are also using your photo. I found them with google image search.
https://www.forquerheating.com/steam-vs-hot-water-heating

JohnNY

Fantastic.  

HomerJSmith

Boy, that is a clean job, kudos. Fat chance if it isn't copy righted. If you used the picture on a copy righted web site, the maybe there is recourse. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.

ratio

With different companies using it in different parts of the country, it might be a website developer using it & not the company themselves. I suppose you'll know one way or the other when (if?) you hear back from them.

It's still shady to use it, though.

Steamhead

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@JohnNY ..... Make it hurt!

Think "Deliverance"......

SlamDunk

A big company sticker on your installs would curb it. But, yeah, that is tacky. Leave online reviews.

PC7060

@JohnNY / I’ve have similar problems myself. Fortunately it is relatively easy to file a take down notice under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. This side provides sample language for notify the site owners. You can also notify the webhosting company of potential violation. It is not required to post notice of copy right; it is a automatically granted unless you specifically waive the right in writing. 

https://kinsta.com/blog/dmca-takedown-notice/#issue-dmca-takedown-notice

You can use tin eye or another image search tool to identify other infringements.

I think I have a example letter in my files. I’ll take look. 

Zman

I was talking to a property manager friend of mine, she told me that every few weeks someone tries to check into a unit with no valid lease from the owner. Someone is taking photos of real condos off of internet ads and using them to create their own listing. They then collect first, last, and security deposits from out-of-town ski bum wannabe's. The poor suckers show up with a bunch of useless emails and no place to live.

I'll bet in your case some 20-year-old web designer is just grabbing photos and pasting them.

WMno57

Jim Forquer likes your install photo so much that he used it in one of his YouTube videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA0izb5aF2g

Maybe the guy that throws pipe through the service truck could be sent to Ohio to collect your YouTube royalties?

GroundUp

As shady as this is, neither of them stated "we built this" while referencing your system. There isn't likely any legal recourse unless that photo is copyrighted. I went down this road a few years ago and was able to work it out personally, but the law didn't care even a little bit.

Rich_49

realliveplumber said:

They are required by law to display their master plumbing and hvacr license number on all advertising, and vehicles. Is it on the website? I didn't see it.

The 2 state boards (plumbing and hvacr) take that very seriously.

License numbers were there . This is a **** thing to do , thEy suck

EBEBRATT-Ed

That's why some state has pictures on licenses. Some jerk on Cape Cod got someones license # off a truck (the other guy worked in Pittsfield, MA other end of the state) and was pulling permits to do jobs on the Cape. He finally got caught. I don't think they could do anything to him because he DIDN'T HAVE A LICENSE.

That's what doing the right thing gets you. Now a lot of places around here have on line permitting. How do they know who is on the other end of the computer? Pay with a credit card. They don't care as long as they get the money.

Personally, I am not sure license # on trucks and paperwork is a good idea

JohnNY

PC7060 said:

It is not required to post notice of copy right; it is automatically granted unless you specifically waive the right in writing

Yes. This. Copyright laws are widely misunderstood. I'm a longtime amateur, published photographer and I know the process of registering intellectual property with the federal government is neither necessary nor encouraged. There's just too much content out there to regulate. It all automatically belongs to its creator.
https://www.instagram.com/cataneo_photo/

PC7060

Website infringement are typically easily mitigated by the infringing party after notice but use in video is going to be a much more $$$ to update. I've included the YouTube copyright takedown request FAQ below if you are interested

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2807622?hl=en

Solid_Fuel_Man

Well, I'll say that is one beautiful drop header install. 

I've actually found pictures of my own work on someone else's website. But it was in an array of "wood boilers" and how they work. A little different.