Stolen Picture

[Karen]

I emailed them and asked that they remove all our images immediately.

Curious about those kitties?

Pooty: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2003/June/17.html

Pippin: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/November/28.html

Frankie: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/October/04.html

Shiva: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/September/01.html

Mano: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2000/August/03.html

Peanut: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/May/02.html

Zabu: http://catoftheday.com/archive/1999/July/08.html

Taz: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2003/March/08.html

[Freckles]

Talk about good examples of bait and switch!

[zippy-kat]

I'm tempted to email them and ask about "adopting" Peanut... it'd be interesting to see what/if they responded.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

OMG! Every single picture they used is from COTD!!! I thought I recognized the little gray one with the white spot, but the others I only recognized by the borders - and of course Peanut I knew right away.

Deb, not sure what you meant about "they just took the picture down" - because it is still there.

I meant that I wouldn't be surprised if they just took the picture down and never bothered to email me back. Bad sentence structure I guess.

facetious

Thank you! I knew it was really a word, but I was having brain fade and could not for the life of me even get close enough for spell check to correct it for me.

Still haven't heard anything back.....

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by Karen
I emailed them and asked that they remove all our images immediately.

Curious about those kitties?

Pooty: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2003/June/17.html

Pippin: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/November/28.html

Frankie: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/October/04.html

Shiva: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/September/01.html

Mano: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2000/August/03.html

Peanut: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2002/May/02.html

Zabu: http://catoftheday.com/archive/1999/July/08.html

Taz: http://catoftheday.com/archive/2003/March/08.html

[Cookiebaker]

I know how upset everybody feels, and I feel the same way.

However, I am curious to know if there are "laws" out there that protect a webpages content. I know of some pages that you cannot "rightclick" on them to save them, but get a copyright error. I don't see anywhere on the catoftheday page where there is a copyright notice, or that you need to ask permission to use the photos.

Does this mean that of no webpage you can use the photos found there-on? I know that I have in the past found pictures I liked and used them for a background, or printed them out without asking permission. I always check for a copyright notice though.

Again, I'm not asking to be a jerk, I'm asking because I would like to know what the policy/law is.

[Karen]

In general, it is much safer to ask a website's permission than to assume anything.

From the "Nominate Your Pet" page

Â_Â_Â_ All material submitted becomes the property of Pet of the Day and all copyrights are assigned to us. This is to protect us and prevent others from reusing your work. You do, however, retain the rights to your material for your own use.

You can print out a Pet of the Day's picture, hang it on your fridge, use it for your personal background ... anything that's for your own personal use.

You cannot sell a CD of our images, post them on your own site without attribution, linking, or permission, pretend they are your images, print them on a poster or in a book without permission, or anything else.

The other site took the time to erase the CatoftheDay award plates from these cat's images, so we know THEY know they were doing something wrong.

[Samantha Puppy]

I don't know about policy or law, what has me so heated is that they're misleading the public. If I were someone in their area and accessed their page and saw one of those cats, I'd expect to be able to inquire about adopting THAT pet in THAT picture. I have NO idea why they wouldn't use pictures from their shelters/rescue. To me, it would tug on my heartstrings much more to see a kitty in a shelter than a beautiful cat in front of a wicker chair or a pretty background, who is obviously happy and well taken care of...

[Cookiebaker]

Thank you for clarifying that so well, Karen. I understand (and agree) with everything you said.

One idea is to maybe make the copyright notice on the actual dotd, cotd, and potd pages to make it that more prominant?

And in response to Samantha Puppy:

I don't know about policy or law, what has me so heated is that they're misleading the public. If I were someone in their area and accessed their page and saw one of those cats, I'd expect to be able to inquire about adopting THAT pet in THAT picture.

I take it more to be a pretty cat banner, rather than "these are the individual cats we have for adoption" kind of thing. Otherwise their banner would be changing every single day.

But again, I do think it is disgusting to take what is obviously somebody else's work and make it to be their own (taking the cotd logo off!!!)

[aly]

How dishonest and sneaky!!!! I can't believe they did that!!! OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *mouth hanging open*

Sheesh.. I'm sure it was just one person who was responsible for doing it. It is a shame that they have made the whole shelter have a negative image because of it.

[smokey the elder]

Unbelievable!!

[lizzielou742]

Um, that's just strange that they would do that!!!
Weird!!!

[Karen]

People from that site contacted me and said, in part:

By no means are we leading anyone to believe these kittens are available for adoption or that they were kittens previously adopted through or organization. NEVER before, prior to you has anyone ever thought the pictures were anything more than decoration.

Without mentioning Peanut by name, she said she had been contacted by one cat's owner annd that that image would be taken down.

I am hoping, after I forwarded her the proof - the links - that she will remove our other images as well.

I know they are a shelter, and are doing important work, but surely they have plenty of adorable kitties whose photos they could use.

[gini]

Hip Hip Hooray for our Mayor.

Peanut - you owe a big head bumpie to Karen!

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I also got an email that was a cc: of what they sent Karen, along with this note

It amazes and disappoints me that you would even care that the picture is being used for such a good cause. Nothing was "stole" as nothing is copyrighted. It will be taken down.

I feel sorry that you would act this way.

It's as if they are trying to make us feel guilty for not helping such a worth cause. I wrote back and said that I would have had no problem whatsoever - if she had only asked first.

As of 5:11 pm cst, Peanut is still there, but I'm thinking that's just because they need to contact whomever did their site to take her down.