PictureDefense.com is a website that is designed to help photographers take action to have their stolen images removed from the infringing websites hosting such images. The site was created by Jimmy Beltz from PhotoTips.biz and I think he’s done a bang up job on walking us through sending out proper DMCA letters to protect our images.
The site isn’t intended to be legal advice (and you don’t have to be a lawyer to send a DMCA notice), but Jimmy has done a great job of making a technical procedure rather dummy-proof. As many of you know, I’m a lawyer and have practiced in the area of copyright law before, so I have a pretty good gauge on what’s good and bad info.
With that in mind, I think PictureDefense.com is a great resource for educating yourself on the DMCA and understanding the proper procedures to take when your work is being infringed upon. However, if you are seeking specific advice on your circumstances, I always recommend that you consult with an attorney who is licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction. Jimmy also has contact info and recommendations for Carolyn Wright (who I would also recommend) for additional copyright advice.
On a final note, all of the info is available for free on PictureDefense.com. I give him some big kudos for all that work that he’s put in to make this info available in an organized fashion for free.
Head over to PictureDefense.com and check it out. At the very least, bookmark the site in case you need to come back to it in the future.
