I first posted the above photo in my then WordPress-hosted blogsite before I migrated to this self-hosted site. I posted this photo taken by our friends because I found this and the others too nice not to post, and because that photo shoot one hot and humid day in April 2009 turned out fun for all of us. (Blogpost here.)
Imagine the shock, when almost three years after that, one of my officemates, whose daughter is on her first year in college at the prestigious University of Santo Tomas and who happens to be friends with my Ate Kara, saw this same photo in the book her daughter uses for her Theology class. When she described what she saw to me, I knew right then and there where the culprits got this photo. From my blogsite. My officemate asked me if I knew this and I said no. To the best of my knowledge, no one from any publishing site asked my permission to use this photo. So I asked her to bring the book to the office the following day so I could see it. And here’s what I saw:
Cover of the UST Book used in the Theology subject
- Hello Publishers, I should write you, you know!
- look ma, stolen photo!
- credits page
I know books aren’t made overnight, so I was just wondering who gave the author and publishers the right to steal this photo from my site and use the same in their book. Granted they printed the source of the photo, and they will very surely hide behind that really nicely-crafted Fair Use policy in the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, but still, Professor Fides Maria Lourdes F. Carlos and University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, how difficult was it for you to reach me? If you had any sense, you would have at least left a comment in my old site asking permission to use this photo in your nice book. That would have at least given me the right to refuse if I wanted to and it would have again given you time to look for another photo to publish. Moreso, it probably would have been ok if you used this and made the book available for free to your students. But no, you used the photo in your book and sold the book to your students.
I remember, too, that the Fair use policy, to my uninitiated mind, also states that merely using the work of another, in this case our family photo, constitutes infringement of copyright unless you print the source and the author’s name. And since you stole the photo, you could just print the source, but not name the author, couldn’t you?
Oh, and you have the right to lecture your students on Sacraments. How about teaching them about Ethics, too?
I have high respects for UST, in fact, it was one of the schools I wanted to go to in college but I decided on UP because well, it’s much cheaper to study in UP. But if the author and the publishers still have any sense of decency, I hope they would do right and approach me. It’s not as if I live in Mars, you know.
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ang masasabi ko lang mami kaye eh: walastik, isa na pala kayong pamilya ng mga model – sa libro nga lang. lol!
hangkyutkyut nina baby jem dito o. sarap ihagis sa ere tapos sasaluhin tapos ihahagis ule tapos tapos sasaluhin ule. lol!
ay sori, plagiarism pala topic dito. hehe. sulatan niyo na ng malupet na high-falutin’ demand for explanation, mami kaye! now na! XD
ipapaubaya ko na kay kaye ang pagsusulat nung letter of complaint to UST. mas lawyer ang dating nya kumpara sa kin. besides, ako mas pang-aksyon ang karakas ko, not on writing.
Ay oo si Jem at Cassie sarap sarap ihagis nuon! sobrang bigat nga lang. At saka, mahirap na sa likod namin ni kaye. baka maging bedridden na naman kami pagnagkataon! hahaha
haha natawa ako sa high-falutin demand for an explanation na yan. Altho, as I’ve said, I already know how they would respond to me and what they would cite, I will still let them know that what they did was offending. That is also to prevent another instance of stealing photos from the net.
it’s about time these people know where to place themselves and not just steal images just like that. sana, after we have written them that letter to explain themselves for using the image without even informing you, we’ll take action further so they will know that this infringement is clearly a big violation, especially for a publishing entity such as theirs. How ironic pa that it’s in a Theology book where you usually teach the right values.
Oh well, maggulo na ang magugulo! Ang mali ay mali! Paging Atty. Tarbs and Judge Grace…!
talagang nagmention ng names? let’s leave Grace out of this.
will get down to this one in a few days, don’t worry.
eto pala yun nabasa ko kanina sa plurk. baket nagsisilabasan ang ganitong mga issue. si lio tapos ikaw. buti na lng walang kwenta mga pinopost ko. walang magkamaling magnakaw ng aking intellectual property. hehe.
pero natawa ako momi kaye. pareho tayo. pumasa ko sa UST pero i chose to enroll in UP because yes, it was much cheaper.
oo nakakainis naman kasi. napakasneaky ng ginawa nila. komo naglagay ng source ok na ba yun?
ang mahal naman kasi ng tuition sa mga private universities. e ang choices ko lang at the time ay UP, DLSU at UST. Di ko nga alam na ang Ateneo pala e nasa likod lang ng UP. hahaha! Pero dahil mahal din dun, keri na. Pumasa naman ako sa tatlong eskwelahang inaplayan ko. Palagay ko I could have also applied for a scholarship if I went to either DLSU or UST pero ok na ko sa UP kahit pa ang travel time ko araw araw nung mga panahong yun e 3 hours dahil nanggagaling pa ko sa Sta. Rosa araw araw.
ironic na in theology, thou shall not steal ang isa sa mga tinuturo tapos sa theology book pa linagay yung ninakaw na photo. but come to think of it, it is still flattering to see your photo as an example of a perfect family
Hello McRich! Thanks for dropping by again. At nakita ko na rin ang masayang EB mo na nakahiyaan ko nang puntahan kahit na isang tambling lang ang layo ng Leslie sa kinaroroonan ko. haha!
Salamat for the nice words. Yun lang talaga nakakainis na di man lang humingi ng permission e andito lang naman ako. maiintindihan ko pa sana kung di ko personal photo, kaso personal photo kaya di yun dapat kinukuha nang walang paalam. at oo, I also felt it was ironic for them to use it in a subject that teaches how to be a good Christian.
Welcome home din.
thanks, we’re back in abu dhabi now, i understand you very well
kick their asses bigtime!!
aww. nakabalik ka na pala
nagwelcome home pa naman ako dun sa last post mo. ang bilis mo naman umalis!
The Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines (Republic Act No. 8293) is fairly new considering that it took effect on January 1, 1998. There is not much jurisprudence on the matter in the Philippines. Most often, we would have to refer and/or consult foreign jurisprudence for guidance and proper interpretation and implementation of the law.
What constitutes fair use is laid down in Sec. 185.1 of RA 8293, which may have been lifted from Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In its website (http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html), the US Copyright Office states that:
“The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.” (emphasis supplied)
In my humble opinion, the use of the photograph of your family in the book sold to students may have violated the doctrine of fair use because (i) the book is of commercial nature and (ii) is NOT for non-profit educational purposes. Part of Sec. 185.1 of RA 8293 reads:
“xxx In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is fair use, the factors to be considered shall include:
(a) The purpose and character of the use, includingwhether such use is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;xxx” (emphasis supplied) (http://www.congress.gov.ph/download/ra_10/RA08293.pdf)
Tarbs, I will have to message you separately for this. Di ka kasi sumagot sa text ko the day I found out about this e. I sent you a text message in each of your numbers. yay.
This is a good info. Nice one Taribong!
attorney ka pala sir. sa susunod sa yo ako ko-consult para may discount (or free?) lol.
Feeling ko, matagal nang ginagawa yan ng mga gumagawa ng libro, yung pagkuha ng picture na walang paalam pero nilalagay lang ang site kung saan nanenok ang picture. Nagkamali lang sila ngayon kasi picture nyo ang napagdiskitahan nila.
Maaksyon ito! Hihintayin ko ang susunod na kabanata.
Maisingit ko lang na parang ang bait sa picture ni Cassie, parang hindi gagawa ng masama. (:
haha parang is the operative word dahil kilala mo siya at alam na alam mo kung gaano siya kapilya at taray. hahaha! may pinagmanahan
nagkamali nga sila at may nakakilala. ang laki naman daw kasi ng picture namin to not be noticeable. ngek.
From how I understand it, fair use only applies kung non-profit yan. Like for us in TV, we can only get away with it if it’s on a news show (for illustrative purposes), but not for a public affairs programme. Medyo vague pa kasi ang definitions of terms natin dito, as intellectual property laws here are not yet mature. And, yes, tama si Taribong na acknowledgment is not equivalent to obtaining permission.
With all the issues revolving around “fair use”, you’d think it’s a misnomer, no? Expect nyo nang marami silang palusot if and when they reply to your letter. Ako I deal with intellectual property rights on a daily basis, and it’s not easy talaga. (I would actually refer you to our lawyer whose expertise is intellectual property, kundi lang ako naaawa at kuba na sya sa trabaho)
Pero maiba lang ako, ang ganda ng picture nyo sa libro, infernez. Sana lang fair din ang pagkakakuha ng litrato galing sa inyo.
actually dun sa nakasulat naman sa ating IPR code, e parang ok lang even if you profit from it (in which case I say the IPR code should be burned as it gives waaaay too much liberty to people like those from UST) but it still shouldn’t excuse them from just grabbing/stealing a photo thinking they could hide under the fair use provision of the Code.
Your illustration is also correct as I read there that for illustrative purposes in current events programs, that may be used, also taking into consideration the speed with which information must be gathered, meaning, the proper permission might not be readily given at the time of the show’s airing. But this is a book, for crying out loud! Sabi ko nga, di ba nobody writes and publishes a book overnight. It requires meticulous research and that should include proper permission from sources of photos and quotes you would be using.
totoo, I find that a misnomer considering it’s not fair that publishers and other unscrupulous people are given the right to abuse other people’s rights.
Haha. salamat. I’ve gotten nice remarks from that photo and the others, too, actually. sana lang talaga fair nga ang pagkakakuha nun.
hi, kaye,
ang ganda nga ng pic, panlagay sa sala. manakaw rin nga, hehe… ^^
btw, some people kasi have this notion that once a pic or a write-up is uploaded on the net, it’s for free use already. ayon…
anyway, may sinulat ako dating tungkol dyaan. lumalakad ang balita ang title, about online news and the modern media. i posed the question of liberty and licentiousness pagdating sa online materials, mga gano’n.
haha, feeling ko di mo binasa kasi, more than a kilometer long ‘yon, haha. basta, ang ganda ng pic! hello sa inyo…
haha panlagay talaga sa sala.
actually gusto nga ulit namin magpakuha ulit ng bago kasi mas malalaki na ang mga bata. dyan sa pic na yan ay wala pang 1 year old ang prinsesang si Cassie. ngayon magfo-four na siya. ang bilis ng panahon!
andun ba yun sa bago mong site? nakapaglipat ka ba ng lahat ng mga sinulat mo dun sa dating site mo? ano na bang nangyari at tuluyan na yung napasara?
MYGULAY! ANOBAYAN UST! Mali ito k pero in other irrele news, gonduh ng photo niyo kasi pero tama ka, gaano kahirap mag-member sa sxc.hu para dun kumuha ng stock photos?
yes my point exactly. ako kasi lalo I also use photos in my publication, mostly sa sxc ko kinukuha or else I get from a site that has photos which are free from copyright concerns.
Actually mababawasan naman sana ang inis ko if the book were provided to students for free. but when you profit from it using photos that you stole from the net, ibang usapan na yun di ba. Plus the fact that I can be reached anytime…kaya lang the researchers and editors were all too lazy to gain the appropriate permission for the photos they used, or at least, in my case, our family photo. shame on UST Publishing House talaga!
ang ganda nong family picture
kasuhan na yan!!! hahahaha
hindi ko pa nga nakakausap si tarbs e. hihi!
salamat. maganda nga nanakaw naman
huli cow! I wonder if other publishers do it as well. good thing you learned about it, now they know! tsk
If others are indeed doing it, then they should be ashamed of themselves! but I have yet to write them and let them know. I hope someone from their office sees this post so they’d know what they did was very unethical. yay.
sige ms. kaye, pasagot na lang po ng mga katanungang ito. walang konek!
http://heymrcuriosity.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/is-it-true-what-theyve-been-saying-about-you/
Dapat Ate Kaye me pay din sa paggamit ng picture nyo… hehehe Pero kidding aside, napakaganda kasi ng picture nyo. Talagang role model sa lahat ng families. =)
Dapat daw me digital signature (like watermarks) n ang mga pictures para d basta basta makuha ng iba…
salamat, Pat.
yun din naisip ko na dapat may digital signature na talaga or dapat yung di na mararight click ang mga pics.
Hahahaha!!! Itatanong ko sana kung bakit my watermark yung photo bukod sa text na webpage sa ibaba, bago ko binasa yung buong post… nakakatuwa naman yun… ang ganda ng picture.. bagay naman sa topic ng book..
Kaso.. parang ang nangyari.. yung book yata mismo.. o yung publishers ang hindi bumagay sa topic.. tsk tsk…
Question lang po: Nagagalit po ba kayo dahil sinama yung photo nio sa book ng walang paalam?… o dahil hindi isinama ang paa ni kuya bong dun sa nai published sa book? (joke!)..
e di ako na nga ang redundant. hahahah! sorry naman,. sa inis ko kasi, parang engot lang ang di makakaintindi.
but then, i guess this is water under the bridge na kung tutuusin kasi nanakaw na yung picture e.
hahaa natawa ako sa tanong mo. ikaw talagang bata ka!
Maraming lesson na matututunan ang lahat sa pangyayaring ito…lalo na sa bagong mundo ng blogging. Yang publishing tingin ko ay di na bago at tingin ko mas may rules at maliwanag na responsibilidad sila sa kanilang ginagawa. Sana magkaroon ng kaayusan ang lahat.
Ang dami siguro silang pinagpilian na family pictures from the internet….and the winner is….Your Best & Beautiful Family Picture. PAA-nalo talaga!
God Bless!
Tama ang lahat ng mga nauna sa akin – ang ganda ng family pic… Hehehehe…
Sa ganang akin, once an IP is used for profit, there has to be expressed permission from the owner… Professional photographers who submit their work as part of stock photos online are required to have model releases kung may mga portrait shots sila or mga taong mamumukhaan sa pictures… I think the parallelism here applies…
I had an experience na ginamit yung pic ko, pero fortunately magandang experience… An author from the US has used one of my pictures from my old blog. They had the publisher contact me for fees and other requirements… Talagang pormal at humingi ng permiso, at binigyan pa ako ng 2 complementary copies of the book…
Hoping for the resolution of this issue, and may justice be served…
I submit yer eners…
WOW.
Gaano ba kahirap na i-credit ung source ng picture lalu na kung picture ng ISANG BUONG PAMILYA ang ginamit.
nakakaflatter sana kasi you are the portrait of a happy family, kaso hindi naman ganun kahirap magpaalam sana diba, Theology pa naman ang subject! Thou shalt not steal! LOL
kaya dapat talaga may watermarks. ako rin di naglalagay.
legal matters aside, gustong gusto ko rin magkaroon kami ng ganyang picture. both sa immediate family pati na rin sa parents ko. pang large framed portait sa bahay.