For the last few days, a copyrighted photo I took of football player Cam Newton in 2007 has been one of the top search results when people search for Cam Newton images on Google. At times, it has been the top image. Unfortunately, Google usually links to bootleg copies that are being used without my permission. I even found a bootleg copy on the Orlando Sentinel web site, accompanying the blog of a noted sportswriter. You would think that professional journalists would know better than to use a photo without permission!
I have to give kudos to Bing - http://www.bing.com - because when I search for Cam Newton images there, the copy on my Flickr site shows up before the bootleg copies, making it easy for people to ascertain who the photo belongs to. I wish Google would wise up and do the same thing.
Trying to stomp out the bootleg copies from various web sites is like playing Whack-a-Mole. As soon as I get one taken down, several more pop up. What part of "copyright" do people not understand? Ironically, the same writers and bloggers who are condemning Cam Newton as a thief are guilty of theft themselves. Go figure...
Hopefully when the NCAA investigation is complete and the drama dies down at Auburn University, people will move on to something else. This incident has taught me a valuable lesson tho. I will watermark every image that I put on Flickr from now on because I've had so many of my photos used without my permission!
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