Photography Hall of Shame New Inductee
Today we welcome 3M, the company that makes Post-it notes, into our ever-growing Photography Hall of Shame. Back in December of 2006, a group of employees at an Internet company covered a co-worker’s jaguar in post-it notes. One of them documented the office prank with his digital camera and posted the photos on Flickr.
The photo set became an Internet sensation, and was picked up by various sites and even featured on ABC News. Then, this spring 3M contacted the photographer and asked to use his photos for a marketing campaign. When they couldn’t agree on a price, 3M said they would just copy his idea and have their own photographer shoot the photos. Is what they did legal? Technically. Was it fair? If you saw your images copied without credit, you probably wouldn't think so. The full story is here.
—Kathleen Davis
Assistant Editor
No sure if this case is samiliar to a Microsoft Windows 2000 advertisement with the slogan “the old rules of business no longer apply.”
If it is the same the photographer should take legal action and get the right compensation.
Check out the link below it's a google book search the item of interest is in the middle of page 75 starting with "In Fournier v. Erickson.....".
Fournier">http://books.google.com.my/books?id=VMlIIp34sD0C&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=Microsoft+Windows+2000+advertisement+the+old+rules+of+business+no+longer+apply&source=web&ots=SxJU1Iz2yR&sig=L3YdYzmoH6tqz5l1fkwIDrmUPQw&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result">Fournier v. Erickson
Posted by: lonewolf | September 24, 2008 at 05:35 AM
Where is the link to the aforementioned Photography Hall of Shame...? After all, let's keep these unethical businesses and their unethical business practices in the limelight for all to see -- and for as long as possible.
Posted by: cynthia | September 24, 2008 at 11:16 AM
We can go to far thinking about our legal rights. The real intention was the prank not the picture. Anyone else could have come along and taken a picture as well. Does that mean the second photographer did not have a right to snap a picture or better yet...sell it? Canon copies Nikon, Nikon copies Canon. Ford copies Chevy and vice a versa. Using someones picture without authorization is different. An offer was made and rejected. To me that showed good intentions on the part of Post-it.
No one has the right to corner an idea. Just think... How many look alike iphones are there in the market today? Get the picture.
Posted by: George Rodriguez | September 25, 2008 at 04:25 PM