Family Picture Stolen and Then Found 5000 Miles Away. Copyright Infringement?

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on May 31st, 2009 | 2 Comments »

czech2jpeg My family is...well...kind of noticeable in the Czech Republic. And not because we asked for any notoriety, but simply because we posted family pictures on the internet.

Here is the basic story...

This is a family picture we took this past October. I posted it on my blog and Facebook to share with people I care about. We loved it so much, we used it as our Christmas card.

Apparently someone else loved it so much, they swiped it, and used it to advertise for a high end grocery store—in THE CZECH REPUBLIC. That is nearly 5000 miles away from where I live. Note the langauge at the bottom of the ad.

An old friend from college (who I'm recently back in touch with thanks to Facebook) lives in Prague—and nearly scared his wife half to death when he yelled out in surprise as he drove down the road. The picture is life size—maybe even bigger.

czech1jpeg I have felt a variety of emotions about this....this intrusion into my life. I have been alternately flattered (really? Of all the pictures they could have stolen, they chose ours?) to confused (how did this happen?) to offended (who do they think they are?)

But what has been most amazing to me since I shared this story is the outpouring of opinions, shared thoughts and feelings, suggestions and offers of help.

Some moms offered to ask husbands/cousins/friends for advice on what I should do. Some didn't wait to ask if I needed anything, they called 'people in the know' and then emailed me with advice and additional help. Many suggested I laugh it off, some yelled SUE!, others said, "I'm not sure there is anything you can do, but it is a good picture."

Ninety-eight percent of the people (mainly moms) who contacted me are not people I have ever met—they are people who reached out, hoping I wasn't too scared. They wanted my world to feel small and comfortable again—not big and unknown. This is what moms do, don't they?

For that, I am grateful. I'm proud to be a mom. I'm proud to call so many of you friends.

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward - as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children

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Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.