# Cindy's image being used in an ad



## Mia Davina (Nov 1, 2010)

I saw this on PlentyofFish.com and got quite angry. Is it ok that they are using this image? If not, is there anything we can do about it?


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## Mia Davina (Nov 1, 2010)

here's a screen cap 

View attachment cindy.jpg


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 1, 2010)

Mia Davina said:


> here's a screen cap



Yeah, I know, I was going to post something similar. I've also seen other people I know and recognize used in those ads, likely without their permission. It bothers me.


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## Mia Davina (Nov 1, 2010)

BigBeautifulMe said:


> I've also seen other people I know and recognize used in those ads, likely without their permission. It bothers me.



agreed here


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## LovelyLiz (Nov 1, 2010)

Yeah, it's really messed up. I've seen a few people I know from here by face, if not by name.

And it's also made me kind of paranoid about posting any kind of pics of myself (well, more than I already was). I don't want to end up as a fat girl dating site ad.


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## Dr. Feelgood (Nov 1, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> I don't want to end up as a fat girl dating site ad.



Congratulations! Your entry wins the Best First Line For A C&W Song Award!

:bow::bow::bow:


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## joswitch (Nov 2, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> Yeah, it's really messed up. I've seen a few people I know from here by face, if not by name.
> 
> And it's also made me kind of paranoid about posting any kind of pics of myself (well, more than I already was). I don't want to end up as a fat girl dating site ad.



Yeah, once a pic is on the internet - it's out in the wild.
And unless you have deep pockets and pit-bull lawyers, all control over it is lost...


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## Jes (Nov 2, 2010)

I'm not sure I understand--is this a photo Cindy posted for an ad in that network? If so, I don't know that I have a problem with it.


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## joswitch (Nov 2, 2010)

Jes said:


> I'm not sure I understand--is this a photo Cindy posted for an ad in that network? If so, I don't know that I have a problem with it.



It seems pretty unlikely.
I've seen a lot of images that I know belong to BBWs from DIMs, often their work from their own pay sites, that have been appropriated and used clearly without permission, all over the place.
I expect this is more of the same.


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 2, 2010)

Jes said:


> I'm not sure I understand--is this a photo Cindy posted for an ad in that network? If so, I don't know that I have a problem with it.



No, this is an advertisement for a dating site that has appropriated a photo of her and the man she was with in order to advertise "bbw dating."


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## SoVerySoft (Nov 2, 2010)

...and that guy is a member here, you know.


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 2, 2010)

SoVerySoft said:


> ...and that guy is a member here, you know.



Yeah, I know, I just didn't want to ID him on the off chance he didn't want to be.


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## indy500tchr (Nov 2, 2010)

I've seen the owner of the Bombshell sites and his wife in that same ad as well. I've told him about it. Where the hell do these advertisers get these pics and think it's ok to use them?


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## Jes (Nov 3, 2010)

BigBeautifulMe said:


> No, this is an advertisement for a dating site that has appropriated a photo of her and the man she was with in order to advertise "bbw dating."



Ah...yeah. that's a poor business practice right there, esp since the site has lots of photos from which to choose already. Weird. Unfortunate.


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## superodalisque (Nov 3, 2010)

i'm not sure i dislike it. fat people date. fat people are loved. fat people love. sometimes we even pass on. thats life. while we're alive we take pictures like anyone else to leave an impression of our lives. i think its the same as any thin person being shown unknowingly in a pic after they have passed. i see nothing disrespectful about the ad. i've seen those ads with a lot of people in them that i know. i'm not sure if they had anyone's permission, which i agree is not kosher no matter who it is, but i actually like that they show fat people dating the same as they would anyone else without ridicule. they just made a miss step and showed someone who had passed. maybe its time we stop worrying about having our pictures seen out there living and being happy and social. not everyone is out to make fun of us or misuse us. i don't think that was the purpose with this.


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## LovelyLiz (Nov 3, 2010)

The issue is just about permissions, and using someone's image for marketing and material gain without the knowledge or consent of the person in the photo. No one is against fat people dating - the photo is being used specifically for a dating site for fat people, after all. But using someone's image in your marketing campaign, without permission/compensation is just wrong. That's what is at issue here.


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## mike0503 (Nov 3, 2010)

Unless it says on the digital picture itself or next to it copyrighted material OR
"it is hereby expressed any reproduction of my pictures or postings without my written authorization and release is unlawful copyright and subject to lawful prosecution, all right retained by this poster." 

or your picture indeed could be used in an ad and yes maybe without your consent even. scary huh :doh:


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## AnnMarie (Nov 3, 2010)

mike0503 said:


> Unless it says on the digital picture itself or next to it
> "it is hereby expressed any reproduction of my pictures or postings without my written authorization and release is unlawful copyright and subject to lawful prosecution, all right retained by this poster."
> 
> or your picture indeed could be used in an ad and yes maybe without your consent even. scary huh :doh:



This is wrong. If you mean that your image can be stolen and used illegally - yes, and no statement of ownership will prevent that from occuring. However, if you mean that language is required or somehow enables you to protect images, or that without it you haven't protected your images - then I refer back to the start. This is wrong.

I will refer you to my last lesson regarding digital copyright law: 

http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1509564&postcount=22

And here are some links that will help you out: 

http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

http://www.digicamhelp.com/learn/common-questions/copywriting-digital-photos/

and, all official and such: 
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf


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## superodalisque (Nov 3, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> The issue is just about permissions, and using someone's image for marketing and material gain without the knowledge or consent of the person in the photo. No one is against fat people dating - the photo is being used specifically for a dating site for fat people, after all. But using someone's image in your marketing campaign, without permission/compensation is just wrong. That's what is at issue here.



yeah, like i said before, i can understand that totally. but i have to admit the first time i saw it i smiled at the thought that she looked happy and loved and was seen as a woman men would love to date on a site not specifically for that. i wonder what she would have thought about it? your right though, she might have been just royally pissed because of the theft. thin women are used this way all of the time without their permission if they are seen as desirable. i just thought it was nice for once to see women like us used as an attraction rather than a version of what NOT to date. they chose a really beautiful picture of her too. i love her smile in that. people are always stealing beauty. i'm glad that people are finally waking up to the fact that fat women have beauty worth stealing--nothing more, nothing less.


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## JulieD (Nov 4, 2010)

I honestly do not know that much about the legal end, and if they can or cannot use the photos, but I just assumed that when you clicked on the agreement to the term of use, and you posted you photo on a dating site, you agree to the fact that the site can use your photos on their home page. Now as far as using it to advertise their site on a different site, i dont know. But I am, pretty sure that you agree to it as part of your contract. I have been wrong and could be in this situation...


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 4, 2010)

JulieD said:


> I honestly do not know that much about the legal end, and if they can or cannot use the photos, but I just assumed that when you clicked on the agreement to the term of use, and you posted you photo on a dating site, you agree to the fact that the site can use your photos on their home page. Now as far as using it to advertise their site on a different site, i dont know. But I am, pretty sure that you agree to it as part of your contract. I have been wrong and could be in this situation...



Okay, let's clear this up. PlentyofFish is the dating site I saw the picture on. It was in an ad, on the side, for a DIFFERENT dating site. This was not her posting her own picture on a dating site. This was stolen from elsewhere, used as an ad for this other site, which paid PlentyofFish to display the ad on THEIR website. 

Probably clear as mud. I'd take a picture and show you guys, but I'm lazy right now.


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## Mia Davina (Nov 4, 2010)

mcbeth said:


> The issue is just about permissions, and using someone's image for marketing and material gain without the knowledge or consent of the person in the photo. No one is against fat people dating - the photo is being used specifically for a dating site for fat people, after all. But using someone's image in your marketing campaign, without permission/compensation is just wrong. That's what is at issue here.



That's exactly my line of thinking


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## JulieD (Nov 4, 2010)

BigBeautifulMe said:


> Okay, let's clear this up. PlentyofFish is the dating site I saw the picture on. It was in an ad, on the side, for a DIFFERENT dating site. This was not her posting her own picture on a dating site. This was stolen from elsewhere, used as an ad for this other site, which paid PlentyofFish to display the ad on THEIR website.
> 
> Probably clear as mud. I'd take a picture and show you guys, but I'm lazy right now.



AAAhhhhhhh.... ok, I understand... :doh:


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## Emma (Nov 5, 2010)

Might be worth sending a quick email to the owners of the dating site, explaining that cindy has passed away and its upsetting seeing a picture of hers being used. They might be kind enough to take it down.


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## MizzSnakeBite (Nov 5, 2010)

Or contact the guy in the pic, and he can request the pic be taken down.


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## shellbelle (Nov 6, 2010)

did she ever have a profile on this particular bbw personals site or possibly any other bbw personals site owned by the company that runs it? some personal sites have it written into their Terms of Service that they will use users' pics for advertising purposes unless you opt out. a lot of non-bbw specific sites also do this (including plenty of fish). i'm not saying it isn't sketchy, but they may be within their rights to using the pic if she ever uploaded it to one of their sites after agreeing to their Terms of Service (and who ever reads those anyway?).


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## AnnMarie (Nov 6, 2010)

I would say it's highly unlikely she used a picture of herself with a boyfriend (either past or present) on a dating site.


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 6, 2010)

AnnMarie said:


> I would say it's highly unlikely she used a picture of herself with a boyfriend (either past or present) on a dating site.



Exactly what I was thinking.


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## BigBeautifulMe (Nov 6, 2010)

The Cindy ad I saw on PoF was linking to bbwd8findr.com. This one I saw today on PoF:

View attachment deidread.jpg


led to speeddate.com. I doubt Deidre gave her permission for this picture to be used, either.

And by the way - to the people saying "well at least mainstream people are seeing bbw love ads on PoF," they aren't. These ads are being targeted at me because I have the word "BBW" in my profile.


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## AnnMarie (Nov 6, 2010)

They're clearly stealing these pics off of face book, flickr, or boards or whatever.


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## shellbelle (Nov 6, 2010)

the practice isn't exclusive to dating sites. facebook has done it, for example*. my point is it may not be someone going around to these sites, picking photos and taking them for the ads. i think a lot of it is generated when people upload photos to social networking sites and dating sites via agreements between these companies and the sharing and selling of information. my mom once saw my photo as an advertisement on plenty of fish (i was sitting next to her; really weird). i don't have a flickr, and my picture is not on these boards. 

it was just a thought, and considering i don't think these companies are being intentionally malicious (even if their policies are questionable), you could probably ask them to remove it from their advertising photo queue. 

*http://dating.about.com/b/2009/07/17/facebook-shows-married-man-his-wifes-picture-in-dating-ad.htm


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## Jes (Nov 7, 2010)

AnnMarie said:


> They're clearly stealing these pics off of face book, flickr, or boards or whatever.


Possibly from here at Dims? 

I recall hearing a story about a family snapshot that was found somewhere and then used as a major ad campaign in another country. Like, billboard sized. Or maybe it was on one of those big bus-stop signs, I don't recall. But of course no permission was received (or solicited) and no monies were paid.


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## AnnMarie (Nov 7, 2010)

Yes, why I included "boards". But people do post at more than just one, so could be here or anywhere.


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