A new type of lowlife...kilt related

**Canuck** · 6th February 09, 03:29 PM

As a person who has a webpage that features kilts that I make, over the years, we have found pictures of the product that we have painfully taken hours to make, engineer, improve upon, have found their way onto pages of others claiming to be their own product.
These others tend to be companies offering kilts for low prices, saying they have the best quality etc. ( you may gather from where they are based) I don’t think they have made the product, they are looking for interest and if they get enough orders they will go into production.
Yes I must improve the system so that photos can’t be lifted from my site. It’s a challenge at times for us independent operators having to deal with time taken away from producing a product that someone is jonesing for.
Well that being said and the frustration concerning that, I have found another type of lowlife.
A protective customer of mine forwards an eBay listing that he found, which has one of my kilts as their product. The photo isn’t that flattering. I can’t place it, and it isn’t one I would’ve taken or posted.
I contact the seller explaining that the photo they are using is of my product, direct them to my website to prove that this is my product.
The reply is that they can’t find the same photo on my website as they are using, and the kilts are similar but they have their own offshore company that designs and makes the kilt and they all look alike.
In the meantime I’m racking my brain as to the origin of the kilt photo. My wife pipes in that it looks like they have taken it off the display rack from my booth.
Yes! Some lowlife in Southern Ontario has been to the highland games taken a photo of my kilt and then is marketing it as their own through a eBay store.
The eBay seller is 30-minute drive from me I offer to show him the kilt in question and give him live proof that the kilt in the photo and the one I have is indeed the one and the same. Wouldn’t go for it. He said the phot is from his supplier.
(This operation is one that takes an order. then sends it to the supplier and it is sent from the factory to the customer)
This morning I photographed the kilt hanging the same way as per his photo and sent it to him. I am allowing him the courtesy to remove the photo before going to eBay.
Failing that route I may resort to Gorilla warfare and request some help in filling his inbox.
Shall keep you posted
Ya a rant…some peoples children

Cheers
Robert

**McMurdo** · 6th February 09, 03:34 PM

Robert
I wonder if the photo is perhaps one that I, or perhaps another XMarker have taken at a Highland Games. I know I got a few shots of your booth at the Georgetown Games this past summer.

**chasem** · 6th February 09, 03:41 PM

As to protecting your pictures so that they can't be "lifted" from your site... best bet is some sort of copyright watermark on or in the photo.

Those javascript popups saying "don't steal our stuff!" when you right click are annoying, and hardly eliminate the problem, as there are other means of lifting a picture from a site than right-clicking. It doesn't really do anything to prevent picture-theft, only to annoy the honest folks. (That is, I accidentally right click frequently. It's annoying enough without having a box pop up to remind me of it

)

Anywho, sorry about the current issue, and I hope it gets resolved easily.

**Bugbear** · 6th February 09, 03:44 PM

Sorry to hear that, and hope you work things out all right. Kind of gives me the chills.

**Canuck** · 6th February 09, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

Robert
I wonder if the photo is perhaps one that I, or perhaps another XMarker have taken at a Highland Games. I know I got a few shots of your booth at the Georgetown Games this past summer.

No Glen, it's not you.
Near as I can figure out there were two people involved. They picked the kilt up off the display rack, took the bookmark cards out of the pockets and held it up to take a photo of it.
They did a poor job of photo shopping to take out the hanger.
You know it gets rather busy in the booth and I was probably dealing with a customer when it happened.

**Canuck** · 6th February 09, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by chasem

As to protecting your pictures so that they can't be "lifted" from your site... best bet is some sort of copyright watermark on or in the photo.

Those javascript popups saying "don't steal our stuff!" when you right click are annoying, and hardly eliminate the problem, as there are other means of lifting a picture from a site than right-clicking. It doesn't really do anything to prevent picture-theft, only to annoy the honest folks. (That is, I accidentally right click frequently. It's annoying enough without having a box pop up to remind me of it

)

Anywho, sorry about the current issue, and I hope it gets resolved easily.

Thanks for the tips, we are currently looking into watermarking the photos

**ccga3359** · 6th February 09, 04:25 PM

Originally Posted by Canuck

No Glen, it's not you.

Believe it or not Glen, you and I are not the only low-lifes robert knows in Southern Ontario!

Robert, would like to post the ebay store so that we can write our protests to them? You can also file a complaint with ebay that one of there sellers is using fraudulent means to sell their products.

**Canuck** · 6th February 09, 04:34 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

Believe it or not Glen, you and I are not the only low-lifes robert knows in Southern Ontario!

Robert, would like to post the ebay store so that we can write our protests to them? You can also file a complaint with ebay that one of there sellers is using fraudulent means to sell their products.

My plan is to allow the eBay store to remove the photo. I will give him till the morning.
I have given him the warning that I will report him to Ebay if he does not respond in a timely fashion.
If eBay won't help then I will post the guilty party.

He lives in Cambridge...might be a good place for a kilt night.....

**ccga3359** · 6th February 09, 04:34 PM

Never mind I found it. It was the first item after I searched "leather kilt". How can one sell a leather kilt for $129US and what is nappa leather? Is it from the greater Acrylibeast? So he's located in Cambridge, half way between you and me what say we unleash McMurdo and let him have his way? Further searching also shows a UK as their Version 2. Why not drop a line to UK let them threaten lawsuits.

**Canuck** · 6th February 09, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

Never mind I found it. It was the first item after I searched "leather kilt". How can one sell a leather kilt for $129US and what is nappa leather? Is it from the greater Acrylibeast? So he's located in Cambridge, half way between you and me what say we unleash McMurdo and let him have his way? Further searching also shows a UK as their Version 2. Why not drop a line to UK let them threaten lawsuits.

Nappa.....It's a kind of leather that sleeps a lot.
The UK one doesn't have the laces on it. but it is a knock off
I recognize pictures of the corsets from a shop that used to be in town, she also does trade shows, and I think they were photographed there.