A while back, I posted about my photos being stolen by some bad at heart stinkwads. I thought that the bit of naming and shaming might put an end to this degenerate practice. Boy, oh boy was I naive. The ones with the bad breath and no budget for photos or soap have been at it again. Wait ’til you see the list of vermin who have been stealing my photos. I will concentrate on just two of my images so you can get a feel for the extent of the duplicity and wrongdoing going on in the world.
Let’s start with the Cha Shao Roast Beef image. I posted it first back in 2012. The link is here.
You can tell it’s mine. It has my copyright mark on it, in the bottom right hand corner.
The first company to be exposed is English beef supplier R. C & B Binns. They are passing off my Irish beef as being; “Hand selected Best Cuts of Beef Cooked in our own house Bakery.” This is an obvious falsehood as I cooked that beef and ate most of it myself.
Next to come within the scope of my compass of ire is these fine folk educated over at Stockton University. Not only did they steal my image, they credited it to R. C & B Binns above, who didn’t cook it in their house bakery. To think that they probably got a degree out of this. It’s not fair. I can’t show the whole page it appeared on for fear of exposing other blagged photos.
However, you don’t need a university degree to be a thief. You can do it if you own a restaurant at 220, Hylton Road, Sunderland, SR4 7UZ.
Or you can do it if you happen to own “Botswana’s Finest Meat Deli”.If you happen to own a meat shop in Indonesia, you can trick your customers by selling them my beef.
While we are over in that part of the world, this bunch of blaggers in Vietnam are not only stealing my image, they have added their own logo to it. And they are promoting eating less beef. I have sent them a google translated note via their website.
These lads at GICO over in Costa Rica say some nice things about my Irish meat as they promote it as being their own. It appears that Irish beef is Costa Rican “Export Quality”. Hopefully, the payment for image usage will be export quality too.
It is possible to make money out of stealing images? Money Web News did a story on it. Or was that a story on saving money while stealing images?
Last but not least in this selection is a New Jersey USA catering company promising my beef for your wedding. I don’t think so! Sell some of those unwanted wedding gifts and pay my bill.
I don’t want to bore you with beef images, so here’s a kebab I made, cooked and shared with my family. You can tell it’s mine by the big © Conor Bofin. When I did an image search on Google, here’s what I found.

I don’t remember posting it that many times!
The first offender is Chaska House, that bastion of great taste in Lurgan, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland. Come on Northern Ireland, this is hateful of you, I thought we were friends now. Though, I do accept Sterling in payment for image use.
Mr. Stinking Image Thief AKA Mr. Kebab over in Mitchum, United Kingdom offends me too. Mr. Kebab! It must be me they are referring to.
Jess Myers who claims to be an English teacher at Xunta de Galicia spends some time stealing my images and posting them to Slideshare. Go back to school Mr. Myers and learn about copyright. Send me the funds you now owe me so I can complete my education in “American Food and Culture”.
Indian Voice posts a recipe for something that reads very NOT like what’s in my picture. In my best Indian voice (Hindi), I say अपने चित्रों चोरी रोकने के.
“Silver” who is a community user on Buzzfeed feels free to breach my copyright on a page where Buzzfeed say no. I ain’t feeling the buzz Silver.
The Chennai Cafe in Texas are telling a big Texas lie (everything is bigger in Texas) with their promise of my kebabs, cooked in Dublin, Ireland. A big dollar money transfer will do.
Missos is not catering for truthfulness as they try to tempt you into a catering contract with my kebabs. Write an authentic cheque (check) and post it to me instead.
The Kitchen Witches at Cucina Aurora have the temerity to suggest you throw my kebabs over a camp fire. Throw me a few quid for using my image I say.
While those paragons of honesty and good taste in Paterson, New Jersey, USA, Baraka think it’s OK to steal my images while putting a “Copyright © 2014 Baraka Halal group” on their website. Shame on you.
I could go on and on with this but, I won’t. These lads and lassies are only the tip of a long skewer of wanton thievery.
So, what do we learn from this? Not a lot, I’m afraid. By the time you get to read this, I will have posted this on my own social media and on the social media feeds of the offenders, where possible or I will have emailed it to them.
If any of you image thieves or your representatives are up to it, post a comment below, I dare you. The invoices will be in the post.
Mad Dog | 6th June 2016
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Unfortunately people seem to think that anything on the internet is free for them to use. They may have grabbed the pictures direct from Google image search and not even looked at your blog. In theory, if you contact the company hosting the offending website you can get the site suspended if they refuse to take down your images (after you have sent a cease and desist letter, of course).
I have contacted sites in the past and most remove my pictures without too much prevarication, but I know this trend will only continue and get worse, so perhaps it’s best not to look.
I make sure my images are too small to print large, but have avoided watermarking since it detracts from the image.
You have my sympathy.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks MD. You gave me similar advice a couple of years back when I had similar problems. There is a load of hassle for me to even do what I have done (name, shame, email, social share) to no net benefit to me. It gets my goat so I try to put the monkey back where it belongs if you will pardon my awful animal analogy (and my alliteration).
Mad Dog | 6th June 2016
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You did make me laugh – sympathetically of course.
I hope you sent all the offenders a link to your post 😉
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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To every one of them. One chap replied to my mail within seconds saying the image was removed. However, he didn’t say from where it was removed.
Mad Dog | 6th June 2016
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Good! I think most Anglophones will remove things when challenged, but there’s not much hope much further afield.
When I was lecturing art students, most of them wanted to take the easy route, not generating their own material unless pushed into it. They didn’t understand why they shouldn’t borrow things when it’s all around them in art galleries, music and other popular culture.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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They need to learn that the satisfaction is in the work. That’s one of life’s great truisms.
Mad Dog | 6th June 2016
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That’s a difficult thing to teach these days. I’m not convinced that everyone knows what good work is. I’ve seen top restaurants in London and Barcelona using poor quality mobile phone pictures on their websites. Technology has made everything easy for most people, but it doesn’t make them all talented at the same time. Anyone can plant a rose, but making it grow is another matter 🙂
herschelian | 7th June 2016
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No-one should use unaccredited pictures from others, but for commercial websites to do so is an act of intellectual piracy – either their food is so sh*t they can’t risk a photo, OR they are too mean to pay for a photo they could use.
I am turning into a GOW (Grumpy Old Woman) when I find myself saying to my computer screen ‘There ought to be a law against it….mutter, mutter,….hangings too good for these f******. Bring back the stocks’
Some of my pics have been used by others, but usually in what I would call a ‘small’ way, not for commercial gain. Ha ha, my pics are not good enough for that. But yours are, and you need to protect them.
Lots of the people who have responded to your post have spoken about ‘watermarking’ a picture – can you or anyone else tell me how to do that?
anyone4curryandotherthings | 6th June 2016
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Connor, I am quite speechless. A few month ago I actually had a heated argument with my husband when he was going to put my name right across a certain photo I shot in Venice, because it would have completely spoiled the image, he let me have my way….and maybe somebody has even sold it and made some money. Unfortunately the world is full of crooks etc how can one find out if ones photo has been stolen? Can you share this with us? I really feel upset for you.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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It is depressingly easy to track your images. Go to Google Images and drop your photo into the search box. That will tell you everything you don’t want to know!
Lisa @ cheergerm | 6th June 2016
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I would love to see some of those thieving buggers post a comment or two! So, they are able to photoshop your watermark copyright out of the photo they knick? Make your own kebabs ya lazy sods, ‘shakes virtual fist’!!
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Lisa,
I have an image of you shaking your fist in disgust. You look cute. Thanks for the empathy.
Best,
Conor
Frank Fariello | 6th June 2016
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Yes, indeed, the internet is a free-for-all. I’d try to be philosophical—take it as a compliment. After all, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then what must actual theft be?
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks Frank. I like the bit of flattery but I get red around the collar with this wholesale theft. I do understand that the best I can do is hopefully embarrass them a bit and, if somebody who looks like they have the dollars does it, get paid!
Claire | 6th June 2016
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I can’t believe this. Firstly it is wrong that they are taking your photos (obviously), but also why aren’t they cooking and taking photos of their own food?? They are all ostensibly selling food, but deceiving people in multiple ways by taking your photos. I am utterly gobsmacked – I can see why it must make you really mad.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks Claire. We both know the answer to your question. Pretty low standards, I’m afraid.
chef mimi | 6th June 2016
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unbelievable! how do you search an image, I’m just curious. This is especially galling for restaurants who are supposed to be doing their own cooking!!!
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Hi Mimi,
It’s very easy to do. Go to Google Images and drop any of your own images onto the search box. After that, it goes downhill….
Linda Duffin | 6th June 2016
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You have my sympathy. I just did a quick search and hey presto, the very first picture I checked had been nicked by some scuzzy online newspaper. Sadly I don’t have time to check on my entire library so I suppose any image thieves will continue to get away with it. So sloppy and cheeky though, when there are so many free images available on Commons.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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It gives me a pain. I put a fair deal of my spare time into trying to get these things acceptable. Well… You know the rest.
Thanks Linda.
Linda Duffin | 6th June 2016
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I know, adds insult to injury when you take great pix and other people just take your pix. 🙁
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Yes, that grates. Geddit?
goldenbrodie | 6th June 2016
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Oh my well, the teacher in me is going off on this one. My students all get that cutting and pasting and snatching photos is stealing and plagiarism. Unfortunately, the virtual world creates this free for all of taking what you see and believing all that one sees. My students are learning but these foodie types are old enough to get what being credible and operating with integrity is all about. At the real base of this is simply being a lazy thief. Having said that, I spend my time on the good and your stuff is excellent and kudos to you again.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thank you. A very positive comment in a sea of (self generated) negativity. I love the expression ‘lazy thief’.
Best,
Conor
herschelian | 6th June 2016
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Have you emailed them to ask why they have stolen your images?
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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I have contacted every one I could including the ones in Vietnam via the offending website (translated into Vietnamese).
arlene | 6th June 2016
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Content thief is the worst thing that could happen to us bloggers. It used to be a problem to me too, not pictures though but the article itself. They substituted words to promote a product, I was pissed that is why when I see spam on my blog, I readily delete them. There is another site that I used to hate, I remember it well because they used my posts not only once but several times so I blogged about it with the name of their site in all caps.
Conor Bofin | 14th June 2016
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It’s just not fair Arlene. Theft is theft and they should be called out on it.
OldCountryGirl | 6th June 2016
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It made me laugh. I know that it is not funny at all, but somehow it is hilarious, too! I guess, your pictures are pretty awesome, right? 😉 In my opinion you can`t do anything about it. Those cases are just so many… where to start? Good luck and all the best, Claudia
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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It is pretty daft, for sure. I have to admit to both laughing and getting angry at the amount of theft.
Thank you Claudia.
Best as always,
Conor
OldCountryGirl | 6th June 2016
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Ok, the amount is huge. You are right. So, the best guess is that your pictures are actually pretty good! Thanks
frankstero | 6th June 2016
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Fair play to you sir!
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks indeed Frank. I couldn’t do nothing, as they say.
Hungry Breton (Franck) | 6th June 2016
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Somewhat a tribute, yet, very f***ing annoying!
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks Franck. You summarise it pretty well.
Adam | 6th June 2016
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Commiserations Conor. Totally unacceptable and I hope you get some recompense, but I wouldn’t book the culinary world tour just yet. When restaurants, of all places, do it I think that not only shows how poorly they rate their own food, but how impressive is your photography, layout and cooking.
Good luck and please keep up the good work. Don’t let them dampen your enthusiasm for your terrific blog.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks Adam,
Very supportive and kind of you. We can’t let these bad of heart or ignorant (or both) away with this stuff.
I hope all goes well.
Best,
Conor
floricooks | 6th June 2016
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What more is there to say…http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nbc-news-channel/31321275
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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A ray of sunshine in a dull day Flori.
Thank you!
Conor
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso | 6th June 2016
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It’s so very upsetting, that people feel free to use photos like that! It’s even more upsetting to see it done so boldly, even when you clearly watermark your name and copyright on it!
I would be very upset to see any photo – or recipe – of mine stolen like this. Luckily for me, my photos are not as good and professional as yours, so hopefully no one will feel the need to steal them! Unfortunately this means the better you are, the more your rights will be abused… It’s a sad world we live in… 🙁
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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You are too kind Ronit. I appreciate the kind comments.
Best,
Conor
anotherfoodieblogger | 6th June 2016
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Well aren’t they bold buggers for thieving like that, copyright watermark and all! I have one photo of my pepperoni pasta salad that’s been riffed more times than I can count, but I can only blame myself since I never watermarked it. I made a lame attempt to contact the first catering company that did it, but never followed up. Finally, I just stopped checking if any of my photos are being used. But I did enjoy your “public shaming” of them on this post, lol!
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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It has to be done. I look forward to receiving the money in the post…
yogibattle | 6th June 2016
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The internet is the wild wild west, but with no direction. On a brighter note, there is a very tiny small bit of flattery when someone steals your ideas for their own promo purposes, as is shows that your photos have inspired them enough do commit such a crime (definitely not as much as anger and disgust though.) One time a guy copy and pasted the words of my whole blog post onto his Facebook page without giving me credit. I had many of the same feelings you do about these thieves.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks for the comment and that bit of comfort. At least it’s not just me!
Best,
Conor
The Cooking spoon | 6th June 2016
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Wow, I can’t believe the amount of times you’ve robbed Conor. It’s a compliment in one way, but they really should be paying you. Hope they do. As for me, I am going to start watermarking my photos. What a good post, I love the way you write.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks for the kind writing words. At least they can’t take that away from me. Strange that they take it and leave it behind at the same time.
katechiconi | 6th June 2016
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There’s a certain kudos in having created the image that every beef-selling thief in the world sees and says “That’s the one I want to steal!”. You suffer from the distinction of displaying fabulous, delicious and covetable images.
I dare not try one of my own images in the search box now, but feel it’s unlikely that they’d be stolen quite as freely or as often. You never know. One day I might get on my high horse and go postal about it…. Thank you for making a tragedy and a crime entertaining.
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Thanks Katie, my dear. How are you recovering? The issues of image blagging vermin pale into inconsequence beside your own issues of late.
katechiconi | 6th June 2016
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I’m out of hospital, and starting my recuperation at the BIL’s in the north of Brisbane. I confess it’s currently fairly excruciating, but I’m being encouraged to move to keep things flexible. We’re heading for home in about 4 days. Such a delight to be free of tubes and needles of all sizes 🙂
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Great to hear. You deserve some respite.
Kass | 6th June 2016
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Conor, RC Binns are near my office – I used to buy all my meat from them. Want me to go see them?
Conor Bofin | 6th June 2016
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Not if you are planning on buying home cooked British beef!
Thanks for the offer but I hope the Interweb will get through.
cookinginsens | 6th June 2016
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Shameless!
Conor Bofin | 7th June 2016
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And relentless.
Damn them.
Tara Sparling | 6th June 2016
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It’s infuriating, Conor, and you didn’t even include those most popular of prawns! I hope you’ll be delighted that I have spent considerable time dreaming up bizarre and somewhat painful punishments for the culinarily illiterate amoebas stealing your images. On a more realistic note, whilst I appreciate the incredibly high quality of the images you post on your site, they wouldn’t be ruined for me as a reader if your watermark was higher and more intrusive. Would you consider making it more prominent, or is it worth it to you?
Conor Bofin | 7th June 2016
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That would be giving in to the low-lifes. We can’t do that Tara. Maybe some steamed amoeba with a scumbag sauce on the blog?
Mmmmmmm……scumbag sauce….
Tara Sparling | 7th June 2016
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Well, there goes breakfast.
ladyredspecs | 6th June 2016
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Morality has gone out the window! Am I game to do an image search
Conor Bofin | 7th June 2016
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Sandra,
Do the search. At best it will put your mind at ease, at worst, it will give you a subject on which to rant, as I have.
Best,
Conor
Eha | 7th June 2016
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Have to agree with a number of other readers that this is quite a huge compliment to you at the same time being totally unacceptable. To make a point I would just keep on sending each a monthly account, with interest added each time and a threat of legal action if unattended. You cannot undo the past – perchance they will think twice in the future . . . and that is not just for you but for each talented and hardworking poster in blogosphere . . .
Conor Bofin | 7th June 2016
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Thanks for the words of wisdom Eha. Not being able to undo the past is one of life’s great lessons. One must move on. I will do so. however, I will continue to harangue these messers.
Tony | 7th June 2016
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Crazy…it is because your photos rock though! I suppose if you had the resources of say a Coca-Cola, you could go after all of them in a matter of days for outrageous compensation. Us normal guys don’t stand a chance. 🙂 Best wishes man.
Conor Bofin | 7th June 2016
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Thanks Tony. If I had the resources of Coca Cola, I might not be so bothered by it.
Thanks for the support,
Conor
Margarita @ Tasty Mediterraneo | 8th June 2016
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Hi Conor,
It is really frustrating when you see one of your pictures elsewhere without giving you credit. It has happened to me too and whenever I realize some of my pictures have been stolen I write to them and ask to remove my picture(s) from their website. It is a really annoying process, I feel I could do much more with my time than wasting it claiming back a theft of my intellectual property… At least so far, every time I have asked them to remove my picture from their websites they have done it, I just wished they wouldn’t take it from the 1st time to spare me the trouble of pursuing them!
If we didn’t take the beautiful pictures we take, this wouldn’t happen, but in any case let’s keep up the good work! 😉
Conor Bofin | 8th June 2016
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Hi Margarita,
Thanks for the really positive and sensible contribution. With you on the team, I know we stand a chance in the fight against the forces of Internet evil.
Best,
Conor
Daniel McGary | 8th June 2016
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My father used to contact the service providers when his images were stolen and the thief responded negatively to polite request. It’s remarkable how fast a website gets shutdown when you send a threat under a legal letterhead.
Conor Bofin | 8th June 2016
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Hi Daniel,
Richard very kindly advised me on this too. He even gave me some form letters to scare the perpetrators. I really should dig them out and raise merry hell.
I hope you and the family are doing well. I think of Richard often.
Best,
Conor
Mr Fitz | 9th June 2016
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You are globally famous!! How frustrating.. Maybe take worse pics in future… 😁
Conor Bofin | 9th June 2016
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Don’t tempt me. It would be a lot easier.
Our Growing Paynes | 10th June 2016
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I’m still scared to see if anyone has stolen my images but it’s always in the back of my head. Not much incentive to improve my photography. Yikes.
Karen | 24th June 2016
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Your photos are always outstanding so I can see why they would want them. Unfortunately they are doing it in such a fraudulent way. I only know of a couple of mine that have been taken but I haven’t checked for a couple of years. I probably don’t want to know. My kind hearted husband tried to make me feel better by saying to take it as a compliment but that doesn’t help…they are thieves.
Conor Bofin | 25th June 2016
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You are wise indeed Karen. I do settle into the ‘it’s a compliment’ mode but then I get short tempered and have to lash out. I’m calm for a while now…..