Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
Last week, Theta Chip, LLC filed lawsuits in federal court against Canon USA, Nikon, Fujifilm, Olympus, and Sigma for infringing a specific patent that covers removable memory cards in cameras and image rotation in camera menu systems, among other things. [Read more…]
I’ve started to post this video several times but it’s been hard for me to get past the stupidity. The broseph you see in this video decided he would use a photographer’s images that he “found on Google . . . freely available” in his Shopify “business.” The problem, however, is that he didn’t get a license or permission from the photographer.
The photographer then sued the thief with evidence supporting his slam-dunk case. Moron rightly decides to settle the case for $27,000 plus $10,000 in court costs and attorney’s fees.
His defense is a maddening riddle:
“There are malicious people who put copyrighted images all over the internet without letting clearly know that they’re copyrighted. And then these same people search for the instances of images used and sue people. They work in groups, that’s their business model.”
I can’t do much more than throw my hands up at this. While I’ve heard the “freely available on Google” schtick many times before, it’s still shocking to hear the defiance in this guy’s rant. And he still doesn’t get it after paying out $37,000.
This is the stupidity that photographers are up against.
The FAA has issued new restrictions on flying drones around certain US landmarks. See the full statement below. [Read more…]
In the video above, a guy passing by a photographer on a photo shoot freaks out over their presence on what he refers to as his driveway. For his part, the photographer kept his cool and tried to diffuse the confrontation but the guy keeps freaking out and nearly strikes the photographer and crew with his truck.
Be safe out there folks.
In the ongoing saga of Canon’s attempt to shut down a couple of high profile gray market retailers, the Get It Digital lawsuit moves into the discovery phase, while F&E Trading files a Motion to Dismiss for one of the parties that Canon is after. [Read more…]
We are continuing to dig into Canon USA’s case against gray market retailers here in the US. Specifically, Canon is targeting popular gray market retailers Get It Digital, LLC, All New Shop, LLC and F & E Trading, LLC (aka Big Value, Inc., Electronics Valley and others) as they cut into Canon USA’s profit margin by importing Canon cameras direct from Japan and selling them in the US.
However, this isn’t the first time a camera manufacturer has gone after a retailer selling gray market cameras on ebay. In fact, I recently discovered that F & E Trading has been sued under very similar circumstances before. The outcome of that lawsuit could foreshadow what is the beginning of the end for gray market cameras in the US. [Read more…]
In the ongoing fight by Canon USA against certain gray market retailers, we now have another response from more named defendants in the F & E Trading, LLC lawsuit. [Read more…]
For years, we’ve been talking about deals on gray market cameras and we’ve now encountered some controversy among at least one major camera company and retailers offering gray market cameras for sale to consumers. So, I figured it was time to get more specific about what the term gray market means to us all as consumers. Specifically, I’ll be focusing on US consumers since that is the law with which I am familiar.
Additionally, this article will be updated on an ongoing basis with links out to the latest news on the Canon v. Gray Market Retailers series that I have been covering. If and when other manufacturers and retailers join in the controversy, that coverage will be referenced here as well. You can scroll to the bottom of this article for a timeline and links to those specific updates. [Read more…]
In the ongoing saga of Canon versus gray market retailers, F & E Trading, LLC (allegedly aka Big Value, Inc., Electronics Valley and others) has filed an Answer to Canon’s Amended Complaint, which we reviewed last month. [Read more…]
In the ongoing saga of Canon versus gray market retailers, we now have an Answer from one of the defendants.
As a quick recap, Canon USA filed suit in federal court against popular gray market retailers like Get It Digital, All New Shop, Big Value, Inc. and others. Canon USA used its trademark rights to assert that the actions of Get It Digital and others are essentially tarnishing Canon’s brand in the US. Specific examples include allegations of using counterfeit serial numbers, incorrect boxes and packaging, printed manuals and non-UL rated cables.
In the lawsuit, Canon is asking the court to award damages that may include profits from these gray market retailers as well as seeking an injunction against these retailers to prevent their sale of gray market Canon products. You can read the initial story and also get the latest update.
Get It Digital has responded with its Answer (that’s the official name of a defendant’s first response to a lawsuit). In the Answer, which I’ve embedded below, Get It Digital and All New Shop (I’ll collectively reference them as just “Get It Digital”) essentially deny all of the alleged wrongdoings that Canon asserts in the Complaint.
In the set up to Get It Digital’s defenses, however, they admit a few facts that are indisputable – such as the fact that Get It Digital is not an authorized Canon dealer and that the company sells Canon products online.
In addition to denying essentially all of the material facts, Get It Digital lays out three affirmative defenses that would kill Canon’s claims. [Read more…]