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ImageLogr Scrapes "Billions" of Images Illegally

PurpleCarrot writes "In what must be one of the largest attempts to scrape images from the Web, the site ImageLogr.com 'claims to be scraping the entire "free web" and seems to have hit Flickr especially hard, copying full-sized images of yours and mine to their own servers, where they are hosting them without any attribution or links back to the original image in violation of all available licenses on Flickr.' The site even contains the option to directly download images that ImageLogr has scraped. What makes this endeavor so amazing is that it isn't a case of 'other people gave us millions of infringing images, help us remove the wrong ones,' but one of 'we took all the images on the Web; if we got one of yours, oops!' The former gets some protection from the DMCA, whereas the latter is blatant infringement. ImageLogr's actions have caused a flurry of activity, and the site's owners have subsequently taken it offline, displaying the following message: 'Imagelogr.com is currently offline as we are improving the website. Due to copyright issues we are now changing some stuff around to make people happy. Please check back soon.'"

6 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. even funnier is their "legal" page... by microcars · · Score: 5, Funny
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    I like microcars
  2. Re:ah... by Pharmboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can we just make a rule that any image you post on the internet doesn't belong to you anymore? Anyone with any sense already figured that out a decade ago anyway.

    Perhaps we can do that with text, too, since there really is no difference in text and photos in this context. Of course, that means that all worthwhile content will disappear, such as news websites, individual blogs, Google Earth, Maps, etc.

    The complaint isn't about getting paid, it is about attribution. I release most of my personal photography under CC with attribution. I have also written many nasty letters to competitors who lift our images from our website to use on competing websites. (we shoot everything, even stuff I can get manufacturer's photos of, to insure we have a unique look). The reason I do this is not only because I don't like working for free for other companies, but it dilutes our efforts to maintain a unique look. That and I don't need someone competing with me unless they are willing to spend the same amount of resources into photography that we have. ie: I don't want to subsidize my own competition.

    So, no, I think I should be able to keep the copyright on stuff I create.

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    Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
  3. Re:Yeah. That's it. by Monkeedude1212 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And now my Facebook profile picture ends up on an Anti-Herpes-Drug ad.

    With my luck, every female I know will see it.

  4. but wait... by buddyglass · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Doesn't information want to be free? If you're going to download movies and music without paying, why can't they scrape your images and serve them up to "whoever"?

  5. Re:If you want to contact them for any reason... by Yvan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You mean they don't want imagelogr@gmail.com harvested by bots?

    Why wouldn't they want imagelogr@gmail.com harvested by bots?

    What's so wrong about imagelogr@gmail.com being harvested by bots?

    I really don't understand why they don't want imagelogr@gmail.com harvested by bots.

    Can someone explain to me what's so bad about imagelogr@gmail.com being harvested by bots?

    Maybe I should write them, at imagelogr@gmail.com, to ask why they don't want imagelogr@gmail.com to be harvested by bots.

    imagelogr@gmail.com !

  6. Re:Yeah. That's it. by postbigbang · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's not true. My images took work to produce, and they're for my benefit on my site. Your stuff-- you do with it how you will.

    If I want my images archived, it's my responsibility and those that I delegate the responsibility to. If someone else has done this, then they've stolen my work, as in ripped me off.

    Should I want to use a license that give rights to someone else, I'll do so. Until then, the decision is mine.

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    ---- Teach Peace. It's Cheaper Than War.