AFP/Getty image is using one of my photos without crediting

looks like your picture was a handout by an NGO called Reprieve. Logic would dictate that you gave the picture to Reprieve, Reprieve gave it to AFP. Not sure what you can do…

BBC, Sky News, Channel 4, The Canadian Press also uses your image, with your name.

It all depends how the image ended up at Reprieve. Did you gave it to them and if yes what were the conditions?

Thanks for your answers.
In the agreement it is clearly said that the images should be used crediting the author and that´s me. As long as AFP/Getty is taken the copyrights of this image I understand they are not playing fair.

I don´t know why but the link provided by Matthias doesn´t show the image anymore.

Your photo is everywhere. Am still waiting for updates on Akmal Shaikh. I for one feel the use of your your photo of him has helped the world better connect with his story.

RIP Akmal Shaikh…

Luis, why you gave that image to Reprieve? Did you get paid?

Hhm. It seems like reprieve is going to be the scapegoat on this one. You can try to contact everyone using it and collect usuage fees though they will probably just blame reprieve. I don’t know your contract with them but assuming they don’t have the rights to distribute your image you could try contacting everyone using it and demand payment or demand them to cease using it. Contacting a lawyer may be helpful as well.

On a side note this is an extremely distressing and disheartening story. My sympathies and prayers go out to Akmal Shaikh’s family. I can only imagine their pain right now.

Hi Luis, I may be wrong but Getty Images on their website gave you credit for the pic. http://www.gettyimages.fr/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=2&language=fr&family=editorial&p=Akmal%20Shaikh&assetType=image But it’s true that the Daily Mail did not.

Hola Luis, ayer vi la foto en muchos lugares y pensé que la tenías controlada. ME ha pasado alguna vez y mi pregunta es: les proporcionaste la foto a Reprieve sin términos? porque en ese caso creo que te la jugaron bien. La foto lleva siempre tu nombre como fotógrafo, pero otro asunto es si deberías recibir los derechos de reproducción y publicación ya que se ha utilizado a nivel mundial. Como autor mantienes el copyright pero depende de como les hayas proporcionado la imagen, vendido o cedido derechos de reprodución. Cuenta conmigo para lo que necesites. un abrazo.

Hello,

First of all thank you for all your answers again.

To answer some of your questions:

I learnt on monday morning that Akmal was to be executed in less than 15 hours. Reading the information published in the media I found out that there was some information missing and I felt I could provide some contacts to try to help him. In this effort I thought that giving some pictures to Reprieve would be a plus to help him. This was something I was asked by Reprieve. Here I paste the email exchange with the Director of Reprieve in which we speak about the photos: Reprieve:

Any chance of any photos of Akmal while in Poland, as this would enhance the claim immensely? (Also, can we put them out to the press? We’ll make sure you are credited and they have to pay you whatever they are meant to pay.)

Me:
In this moment I just can provide you with 2 pictures I have in my website. In four-five hours time I will be able to send you the whole Akmal´s series. All the pics are EXIF formated so they keep my copyright info. Anyway, please, make it explicit that they must be credited if they appear in any printed or electronic media and to provide my data for payment contact.

Of course this is the less detailed and vague conditions of a contract that I have ever agreed due to the fact that I uderstood that there was an urgence to act and not to stop in more details. There my fault, of course.

Anyway, without being a lawyer I still feel that some of my right are being violated.

I am looking for a lawyer. Do you think he/she should be from the UK? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Gracias Delmi por tu mensaje. Joder, menudo lío. Ya puedes leer lo que pasó más concretamente en mi anterior mensaje. Inexperiencia+ingenuidad, o simplemente buena voluntad por mi parte que mira en que acaba.

Si tienes alguna idea a quién consultarle a nivel legal… Lo he intentado por la Asociación de la Prensa de Castilla La Mancha, perteneciente a la Asociación de Periodistas de España, a la que pertenezco. Pero ahora que acabo de aterrizar en PL veo que me han devuelto los servidores el mensaje.

Un abrazo

Hola Luis,
Por lo que me dices es Reprive quien ha enviado la o las imágenes a los medios como AFP. Es así?. Ene se caso y leyendo lo que les adviertes sobre el crédito y el pago de las imágenes es Reprieve quién tiene que hacerse cargo de todo esto. Necesitas un buen abogado que te ayude sobre todo a recuperar la parte económica del uso de la/s imágenes de Akmal, ya que se publicaron de forma universal en internet por lo menos. Primero deberías hablar con la persona de Reprive y dependiendo de lo que te diga entonces debes actuar, a no ser que ya tengas una respuesta de ellos.
Aquí leo esto por parte de Reprieve: “…We’ll make sure you are credited and they have to pay you whatever they are meant to pay.” No veo mala fe por parte de Reprieve, y se entiende que humanamente todos han querido ayudar a Akmal. Nadie iba a pensar que lo ejecutaran tan rápido y ha pillado por sorpresa a todos. Creo que los chinos han ido muy lejos con este tema.

A todos nos ha pasado, bienvenido al club, pero no te desanimes, en LS y fuera de LS hay buena gente y compañeros que te ayudarán. Vete comentandolo aquí para que todos podamos saber como es la evolución y podamos también ayudarte y aprender.

Estoy buscando la Asociacion de periodistas e Castilla La Mancha
http://www.fape.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=21&Itemid=133

Asoc de la prensa Guadaladajara
asociacion@centrodeprensa.org
E-mail
asociacion@centrodeprensa.org
Página web
www.asociaciondelaprensa.com
Dirección 1
Asociación de la Prensa de Guadalajara
Direccion 2
C/ Felipe Solano Antelo, 7
Población
GUADALAJARA
Código Postal
19002
Provincia
GUADALAJARA
Región
Castilla-La Mancha
País
España

Parece que no tienen telefono
Si, creo que si Mark te da un contacto de abogado en Londres podrías ir escribiendoles. Generalmente no cobran por la primera consulta y si son buenos sabuesos y ven que pueden sacarle tajada ya te dirán el porcentaje con el se quedan, pero en este caso tuyo es una pasta considerable haciendo cálculos con los datos de Google.

Un abrazo.

Thanks so much to both of you for your very fast answer.

Sorry Delmi, as I said Castilla La Mancha and I meant Albacete.

As you both advised me I am going to work on it contacting Reprieve tonight first of all.

In Spain, it will be tomorrow, with the Press Association.

Please Mark, send me the contact for this media law firm in London, even if it is not cheap.

jaja, vale es Albacete, me hace reir por aquello que cantabamos… camino de Albacete, va el viejo y se la mete…la mano en el…y toca el paquete…
Bueno aqui tienes Albacete Asoc. prensa
http://www.fape.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=249&Itemid=112#3

EStos si tienen pasta para telefono
ASOCIACIÓN DE LA PRENSA DE ALBACETE

Avda. de la Estación, 2-6º
Apartado de Correos 1030
02001 Albacete
Tel. 967596414
Fax. 967596414
E-mail: apalbacete@fape.es
Página web: www.fape.es/albacete
Presidente: Emma Real Jiménez

Me voy a casa ahora, pero alli estoy otra vez online. tengo skype: delmialvarez
Si necesitas que haga alguna llamada a Albacete sin problema.

hablamos luego

Gracias Delmi. Una compañera de Albacete me ha pasado los datos personales de Emma y ya estoy en contacto con ella. Ese email que tienen es el que me rebota todos los emails que le envío.

Yo ya estoy trabajando en casa, llegué hace un par de horas a Varsovia.

Voy informando.

Tragic for Mr. Shaikh, and his family. How did you provide Reprieve with the image? It sounds like you did have some sort of formal written contract? Did you?

Hello John,

Yes, of course, my problem is a secondary one here, for that I acted, in good faith.

The agreement, if I can call it so is what I pasted a few posts earlier. Where It is clearly reflected from both sides that there was to be a recognition and the pictures were not just given for free but some kind of payment was expected as we spoke about it.

Thank you Mark for the link.

Your photo was on the front page of the Taipei Times today, credited as “Handout photo supplied by Reprieve UK”.

Thank you BignoseTW, Was it the printed version or the web one?

http://www.lesoir.be/actualite/monde/2009-12-29/la-chine-a-execute-un-ressortissant-britannique-746026.shtml
http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2009/12/29/londres-proteste-contre-l-execution-d-un-britannique-en-chine_1285839_3216.html

Hi Luiz I’m very sorry, I have to amend that … I only had a quick glance at the paper this morning and just saw the caption. However, looking more closely, underneath the picture (below the fold, on the print version) it actually said Picture: Luis Belmonte Diaz/Reprieve.

It’s on the website of one of the local papers here (don’t know about the print edition), with a Keystone credit – http://bit.ly/8EfcsD

Hello to everyone and thank you for your help and support.

I wrote yesterday night, in fact about 6 hours ago, to Reprive to ask them about how they did the distribution and wether they respected what we agreed in our mails, without any answer yet.

UPDATE:They answered and say that they “… certainly told everyone that they had to credit you and respect your ownership” and that they are to send me more information about what they sent.

I also contacted swanturton.com, a media law firm, but I am waiting also for an answer.

I have some hundreds of links and printscreens but I would appreciate if you could help me in this and send me links to the publications where you see my photos.

Thank you again.

I am so tired of this.

One of the images cropped appeared yesterday printed in a lot of European papers.

Today it appears in a spanish one CREDITED to Ben Stansal http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=674331&idseccio_PK=&h=091230

This is totally fucked up…any response from Reprieve yet?

If not then call them, or send registered mail. When dealing with them stay cool, relaxed and friendly, even if you feel like the opposite.

They answered and they told they were very sorry for what was going on and that they have passed the pics warning that they shouldbe used crediting me.

I resend them the email in which we agree that they should contact for payment and it seems when they distributed them they forgot to tell that photo were not for free.

In the email they say that they would chase those that are using unfairly the images to pay what they should. :/

The only lawyer that deals with media issues that gave me an answer said that I have to start sending everyone invoices both my email and registered mail.

aiaiaiaiaia…so thinking rationally: who are the ones that cashed in on the use of your image? I think afp/getty…so contact them, explain and tell you as well as they got screwed by Reprieve and ask for your cut. They got the image for free and should acknowledge you as their supplier. I don’t know what the deal with Getty is, 50%?