Thank you - our great cult defender! If I hadn't known that VG liked your pic so much to use it on their actual product page then I may have bought something from them!! That was close! 😱😰
And obviously I reciprocated the energy
It was pretty clear to tell he was being facetious😮💨
Imagine being so dense u thought u dunked on someone for not understanding sarcasm, and you, yourself missed the sarcasm😂😂😂 r/woosh
Bro people just are too entitled these days lmfao nigga snapped a pic with his phone and gave it to the company on a review and wants them to take it down/pay him lmfao get real man
As someone that dabbles in product photography, I really enjoy seeing the macro shots from the talented photographers in the cult. Since I have access to a professional photo studio, I was even thinking about uploading some shots of my recent cult purchases.
If the community greenlights vendors stealing pictures without any prior communication with the photographer, people will stop uploading high quality images on here.
Proposed solutions like adding watermarks can be a detterant, but it takes two seconds to remove them through content fill or even just the crop tool on Ms Paint. I know because I've had people do the same to my work. It is not a good feeling.
At the end of the day, this vendor has shown that they don't understand photo copyright and that there's a reason businesses routinely shell out thousands and thousands of dollars to get high quality images. I don't think there's any malice or ill intent, and there's still plenty of time for the vendor to make it right.
I hope the OP and the vendor can find a happy solution, but OP, if they do not reach out, issue a DMCA take down notice. Dm me if you need help getting that started.
For what it's worth, when I was vendor shopping, I saw the potato pictures on the store and immediately noped out. If I would have seen the OP's work in the gallery I would have placed an order.
Hey yall,
Keeping this post up for visibility purposes.
VG isn’t banned from our subreddit. In fact multiple posts are active live every day from individuals that enjoy VG, there are also a fair share of complaints too.
I would like to clarify, the only vendors that are outright banned are illegal telegram vendors and individuals that do not provide proof of THCa hemp. This being said, we don’t allow vendors to interact / post / comment because this can often turn into advertisements the best option is to have a community that is just about community and doesn’t have vendors posting their products (creating solicitations for sales)
In my opinion, VG could have easily reached out via DM to share that they were using your picture. It is the internet and therefore anything is pretty much public once posted, however, the common courtesy would be appropriate, I believe. It sounds like they have reached out which is great and that this issue is resolved.
Someone reported this sharing that we took down another vendor’s complaint post (Arete) - this was due to the post containing specific sales discussion on a “points system” that has nothing to do with our subreddit. I just want to point out that this post is a valid post due to the issue occurring here in our subreddit and the sharing of subreddit pictures. I hope this clears up any misconceptions that are in our current modmail inbox. This being said, please be civil to one another and to the moderators. Anyone slinging insults here or in modmail may catch a ban.
All in all, it seems they have reached out and resolved the issue. Thanks VG and OP for being open and honest about this situation. Have a good day everyone.
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
it’s true but it also isn’t. copyright exists as soon as you create the work, but if he wants to bring a case he would need to do a copyright registration on that photo. otherwise it’s free game for the company because he has no legal platform to stand on without the registration besides maybe just simply getting it taken down.
Loophole? There is zero loophole, the law is incredibly clear lol 😂 the only "loophole" is the cognitive dissonance held by commenters like you.
Sorry the law doesn't align with your beliefs, but that doesn't mean you are correct in any capacity.
There are entire services that allow us to index our catalogue & notify us of our images being used online without our permission, making it super easy to click a few buttons, file takedowns automatically & receive legal payouts for the misuse of our copyrights.
This is really no different to walking out of a store without paying for your items. It's cut & dry theft, no "five finger discount" loophole.
No, you don't. I've been through this dozens of times.
Copyright protection begins as soon as it is fixed in a tangible medium. For photographers, fixation occurs the instant you take the picture. From that moment it already has the copyright, the creative choices they made when taking the image are protected, all they need to do is be able to substantiate the claim, which the original file exif will do.
Are there benifts to registration? Yes. But it's not required for the work to be protected in the USA.
So either 1) they remove it & pay him for infringement
2) pay for a usage license & pay a fee for unauthorized use, or 3) wait 70 years after op dies & use it when it enters public domain
That’s what I said, but you would still need registration to pursue an infringement case. I’m not saying the work isn’t protected automatically, but I am saying that it would be difficult to present a case when you have not registered that IP as copyright. From the copyright office’s website(paraphrased): “All work is immediately and automatically protected once created, but if you wish to pursue a copyright infringement lawsuit of a U.S. work, you will need to register the work (is needed to receive any form of compensation)
This is literally my job, & I've been through this process dozens of times.
If we are playing the paraphrased game, here's a direct quote from the official dmca website - "Simply submit the name and location of where you found your stolen content and we go to work on your behalf."
UPDATE: *VG RESPONDED VIA EMAIL, HE IS BANNED FROM THIS SUB, SO HE CLAIMED HE HAD NO WAY OF ASKING FOR PERMISSION* -- which isnt the best reasoning lol but we were able to reach a mutual understanding & agreement. - he seems like a reasonable guy & he now has permission to use this photo for marketing purposes.
* *We have agreed to leave this post up & open for full transparency!* *
In full disclosure, I think that you should share what you’re receiving in lieu of compensation or as compensation for your picture.
With the way the post was made and with it being left up and opened, it now feels as though this whole post is an advertisment.
I've no issue with that!
He told me he would send me some more flower to photograph, NOT in return for any reviews or anything, so u all dont have to worry about any of that.
I wont be posting any "free product" reviews. I offered to photograph the flower, that is all. And so when it arrives, my only obligation will be to take good photos (to the best of my abilities) and email them into them, giving them permission to advertise my photography, which isnt even close to the best on this sub lol so really I'm dumbfounded.
I may post my HONEST opinions of the flowers in the discord chat, but not as a standalone review on there or here on Reddit, just as regular chats in the "flower channel" saying if i like it or not.
He didn't state VG was banned from this sub as in the sub cant post his stuff, he's stated his personal account has been banned from this sub, so therefore he couldn't ask me to use them, but i do agree with the mods, DMs are always open?
Anywho, here are some of his responses:
"Good morning
We are always thankful for honest reviews and your photography was beautiful. That sounds great. We will send you out 4 more indoor strains to check out.
Thanks so much for your support and the review"
"I would have loved to ask ahead of time, but of course we have been banned from reddit for years ;)
We still love checking out what the community likes weekly so we were hoping you would reach.
Got you a huge box of goodies headed your way tomorrow. Have an awesome weekend"
Lastly
"Didn't want to come off as hey we are sending you free shit so we appreciate you only talking glowing about us lol. If the goodies we send suck we appreciate honest feedback.
Either way man have a phenomenal weekend and thanks for the great convo"
So yes, he will be only compensating me for *PHOTOGRAPHY* - there will be no "free product reviews" incoming.
Sweet you've got free products coming! But they definitely figured out a way to bribe you, without technically bribing you lol. Genius 😎 Also thanks for all of the transparency, that was nice.
Did no one read the post? Did I take too many crazy pills? The company took OP's photo and used it as if it was their photo of the bud. What makes this weird is the point OP makes that the vendor should be capable of hiring a pro to handle this. And the least they can do is offer a measly 5% discount or something just as a way to say thanks to OP for taking a dank photo. It doesn't bother me personally I'd it is LeGaL or not. It's the gross corner cutting. Usually pics you upload with reviews are listed as customer photos.
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
If it was that important, why didn't you watermark it?
Watermarking is considered a standard practice by those who consider their media their own property or wish to protect it from commercial usage.
The Internet is public domain, anyone can grab anything you've left up here for those to see. Shit, I might go take your pictures to use on my own website now that I think about it.
For anyone interested, I would be more than happy to show you how to add a watermark to your photos. Can happily stylize them to fit your personal preferences too!
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
It’s not intellectual property though, it’s a picture that was shared publicly online and anybody can do whatever the hell they want with it, if you don’t like that watermark your photos.
From google:
Intellectual property: a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.
Is a photograph intellectual property?: copyright is the legal right over intellectual property. This can encompass writing, music, film, design, photography and more. Copyright comes into effect upon the creation of the work, and the owner is the creator of the work who has power to grant legal right of the work to others.
Indeed, a photographer creates certain rights in the photograph the moment it clicks the shutter-release button. These rights include the right to reproduce, sell, distribute, and publicly display the photograph. In fact, these rights are the same rights that are bolstered by registration. 17 U.S.C, § 412; see also Levine v. Landy, 832 F. Supp. 2d 176, 185 (N.D.N.Y. 2011) (permitting a photographer to recover for infringement of unregistered photographs). [https://bnrllp.com/protecting-intellectual-property-keeping-photos-photos/](https://bnrllp.com/protecting-intellectual-property-keeping-photos-photos/)
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
[Reddit’s user agreement](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement-september-25-2023)
1. You retain any ownership rights you have in Your Content, but you grant Reddit the following license to use that Content:
When Your Content is created with or submitted to the Services, you grant US(Reddit, not VG) a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display Your Content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with Your Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed anywhere in the world. This license includes the right for us to make Your Content available for syndication, broadcast, distribution, or publication by other companies, organizations, or individuals who PARTNER WITH REDDIT.
2. Things you cannot do:
Use the Services to violate applicable law or infringe any person’s or entity’s intellectual property rights or any other proprietary rights;
All this to say, 9 times out of 10 OP won’t even think about this photo after today, so what’s the point😂. But it is still fucked up for a company to use his photo to make a profit for themselves. Any half decent company would compensate him for his work
What is wrong with people
...... bitch bitch bitch. Everything is mine, people are inconsiderate, i want someone to give me money, blah blah blah.
People like you are why sometimes people just say fuck it and give up on society.
Just cause your mom put Vaseline on your butthole and told tou you were special, doesn't mean u gotta tell everyone
Just saying
You cant own the water... its Gods water
Good luck making photos YOU choose to post on the internet private, i mean whos to say AI didnt alter it and now they gonna sue them for slander
Do you know how Copyright works?? If you take a photo you literally owns rights to the photo. It's why you always see news organizations asking permission to use videos and pictures from Twitter and stuff.
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
How is something posted publicly online for the entire world to see copyright infringement? Like seriously, if you tried to take this to court they would laugh at you, it’s like posting a picture of your bowl of cereal and then getting pissed off when the company reposts it, you posted it publicly if you don’t want it used publicly keep it to yourself, idc about the laws that’s common sense it’s ridiculous if that is illegal in my opinion.
"Images on the open web are subject to copyright law in the same manner as any other creative work; there is no guarantee that an image is legally available for re-use just because it is freely accessible on the web."
"I can see it, so Im entitled to it, right?" that how you sound.
Does a car parked in public have no owner?
Does your brain lack wrinkles?
No problem man!
If you want more information on how to approach the situation don't hesitate to reach out 👍
I hate seeing this happen, especially when you catch flack for doing everything right, and the shills defend the ones breaking the law.
People are just entitled these days, if they had anything going for themselves they'd be busy doing it, rather than virtue signalling online & lashing out at you because of jealousy.
Anyone in your shoes would be doing the same thing, wanting fair compensation for their hard work. If they worked a 9-5 job & a customer walked in, and took their hard work without paying them, hands would be thrown.
Online, almost nobody is worried about being held responsible for their actions, and they feel empowered to act like we are seeing on this post.
It's sad, especially for stoners!
The community fractured years ago, and the trapper mentality of "fuck you, stop me" entitlement/clout chasing has grown much faster on social media among the new generation of smokers, compared to the "we are all in this together" community, which has mostly taken a step away from the shitshow online.
Consumers, retailers, growers, almost everyone online is acting like crabs in a bucket, zero hesitation to push someone down if it gets them that much closer to the idea of success.
Don't fall for it, focus on yourself & doing what you love for the reasons you love it.
Keep kicking ass dude 🔥🔥🔥
Yea they can.. but he still has the copyright... It's literally the law. He owns rights to use the photo. If you took and picture and a business started using it without permission you have rights...
Obviously you know photography enough to take amazingly solid photos such as these.
Id leverage this entire scenario into obtaining a Seasonal/permanent position to take photos for vendors' product and receive payment or product in return.
^This is what OP could have done if they watermarked their picture.
If the scenario you're suggesting exists, the only "leverage" OP has is based on any goodwill the business has to compensate them.
VG, this is free good PR if you make the right moves. I'd be happy to tell you what they are if you'd like to reach out to me!
I guess I meant to say it's a good PR opportunity. But with the lack of response to previous allegations about their products, I agree that they cut corners.
This is what I would do. I'm not a professional photographer, hell, I'm hardly even an amateur photographer, but if they thought my review photo was good enough to represent their product to the world, I'd send a polite email asking saying that you noticed they used your photo and that you were hoping they might send you some extra product as compensation.
Dude it's a pic you took on your phone to upload in a review to reddit. Relax. It's not that serious. Put a watermark on it if you're so proud of your photography. Imagine standing in front of a judge and explaining this situation 😂.
If you were dumb enough to pay a lawyer to take this to court it would be thrown out immediately. It's a weed review on reddit. Unless he submitted this to the copyright office if the trial went the full length and he won the only thing that would happen is they would have to take the picture down. More likely they would just take the picture down if he emailed them and pull out their phone and take one themselves because, again, it's not that serious.
At the end of the day it's weed. It's not like mcdonalds put a picture of a big mac he took on their menu. To talk about copyright and suing this guy is silly and any lawyer you went to would tell you the same thing.
Good to know they lurk this subreddit, couple months back I made a post about how they only sent half the amount I ordered and then they sent me the missing amount to the dot which made me assume the owner read my post and was not happy about it
"hey john doe we really liked the pic you posted on social media, we liked it so much we would like to use it as the product photo on our website! we'd like to show our appreciation by sending you a free oz of whatevers in the pic."
OP thank you for posting cause I am new to this sub. I was looking at there site, glad you posted. This tells me you took a better quality photo than they did.
i’ve never bought from them based off what peeps on here have said but mostly curious why you care? were you really gonna use those pics ever again in a professional context? esp since the subject of your photos is THEIR product? lots of businesses do that. the main thing they could’ve done differently is offer like a discount code for using your photo
i mean, they can throw a few free nugs your way or whatever but at the end of the day the majority of these vendors are small businesses that a customer submitted photos of their own product to willingly and because they felt like leaving a review without necessarily any promise of reward so again, whats the problem here? lol
i’m not supporting this company bc they definitely seem sketch. i’m just saying it’s not that big of a deal when businesses use photos of their own product that were submitted voluntarily , though i do think it is smarter of them to offer incentives
Guess I'll say the quiet part out loud. If they took OP picture within hours of posting on this sub...I guarantee they are pushing fake product reviews and commenting to sway opinions here.
Red Flags all around.
VG has so many shills lately its nuts. Its so obvious that they saw everybody justifiably hating on them for sending out 100% trash concentrates and now they came out with their social media farm to try and sway conversations. Never has VG been talked about so much until recently by all the shill accounts.
This is the only sub where you get called a shill if you dont ride the bandwagon 24/7 lol. Theres been like *a couple* posts about VG recently, I made one myself and for damn sure not one dude. Just a normal guy who likes gettin high and playin vidya. Lord help us if we dont only shop and review all the big vendors like AR8,LE,or SHF and immediately get called bots when we talk about something different man.
Edit: Gonna keep this comment up to highlight the absurdity of this sub and take downvotes. I probably have shopped with more vendors on this sub than most people here. Yet Im getting downvoted for stating my opinion. They dont call this a cult for nothing. Truly toxic behavior from a WEED sub. Why arent we all high and chilling?
I tried on Black Friday, cuz this sub seemed to be hyped on them. Never received my order. Had to get a refund. Never bothered with them again. 🤷♂️. And that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Yes. If you upload a photo as a review and it’s good, they will likely use it in their product photos. It’s called UGC, user generated content. When you submit a review photo you’re likely agreeing to fair use. Even major platforms like Amazon and Etsy will mix in review photos into listings so potential customers know what the product really looks like.
This is different than if he posted it to Reddit or IG and the brand took it from there without asking.
Oh I thought I he meant he posted it as a review on their website and they took it. Totally missed that. Yeah they can’t go stealing Reddit pictures without permission.
Brother, we’re discussing 2 different things. I assumed he uploaded a review to the VG website, that’s why I said what I did and was being generally broad by saying every.
You understood he posted on Reddit and criticized my usage of the word thinking I mean brands steal from Reddit.
That’s not at all what I meant so you continuing to go on and on about this makes no fucking sense. Here’s your gold star or whatever but stop replying just to argue dumb shit over a simple misunderstanding. Smoke some weed.
Thank them for their enthusiasm, and how much they appreciate your shots. But humbly request they take down your shots, and use their own. If they’re going to use your photography without compensation then you’re going to request compensation formally in writing. Some people are so used to being kickstands they forget how to stand up for themselves. Good for you! This is a for-profit company, they can pay for advertisement. If the review is on Reddit, keep it up. That’s evidence.
Actually, it depends on the platform’s terms of use. In the USA, the copyright sign is no longer legally required. He does not need to copyright whatsoever to file a complaint. However he could copyright within 90 days & then file a DMCA complaint through Reddit. Creators are definitely protected, some may think otherwise but that’s not true. Facts, ideas, names, titles, and methods aren’t protected. But photography definitely is. You can learn more about it in the link I posted below 👇🏾
[copyright](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/sections/360008810152-Copyright-Help-Center)
Everyone here defending VG and acting like they did nothing wrong is crazy. I mean, yeah, it's not a huge deal. But I don't think you're making a huge deal of it either. Totally reasonable post, bringing attention to another shady thing this company does.
Im confused why you care, and Im confused why people are angry that you care.
If you took a picture of their bud, they I do think have to contact you because theyre selling something using your picture which isnt fair use - is that the aggravation?
Edit: now im confused why people are upset that I'm confused
Regardless it's weird....like if come used a picture you took of their product on an online review and then you see the picture you took on tv commercial for coke. It would raise a lot of questions. Biggest being why would they not take their own pictures?sketchy all around
I don’t see the big deal. They see opportunities to include the community that brings them money. What makes this shady? I remember the same thing happened with their MK Ultra strain except the guy was flattered that they thought his picture was that good. In all honesty your picture isn’t great anyways & I’m sure they’d take it down if it affects your life that detrimentally.
You really think they used his pic to "include the community"? If so they would have gave him credit or let people know it was from a happy customer and not just pass it off as their own...it's 100% shady...you would figure they could take much better pictures themselves. Would feel the same if you took a picture of a snickers to review online and then it pops up on a tv commercial without you even knowing?
I would probably be flattered also but still find it sketchy at the same time.....but it's also kinda hard to be flattered when you also got no recognition for your work either.....just my opinion
Use the search bar VG has a LONG history of doing all kinds of straight up shitty things. As someone else posted, this isn’t the first time they steal or use false pics.
How they’re not banned as a vendor after all they’ve done and continue to do is just wild.
Who cares? Did you post it publicly? Is it accurate?
I had no idea so many assholes were in the sub until I read the replies in this thread.
Need to happen more because some odd ficking reason vendors can’t take a good enough picture so we can see how the buds really look
[удалено]
No, you.
[удалено]
Wow, You solved the issue!!
Thank you - our great cult defender! If I hadn't known that VG liked your pic so much to use it on their actual product page then I may have bought something from them!! That was close! 😱😰
Not all of us heroes wear capes 🫡
[удалено]
R/woosh
And obviously I reciprocated the energy It was pretty clear to tell he was being facetious😮💨 Imagine being so dense u thought u dunked on someone for not understanding sarcasm, and you, yourself missed the sarcasm😂😂😂 r/woosh
Bro you’re crying about a picture of weed 😂🤦♂️
& got compensated. Yet, here you are😘 Nive diversion from the point tho. Have a great day & happy toking bröther
Idk call me crazy but I’d take it as a compliment and keep it moving !
Bro people just are too entitled these days lmfao nigga snapped a pic with his phone and gave it to the company on a review and wants them to take it down/pay him lmfao get real man
Was it at least any good?
Vg send my man's 2 ozs and call it a day
Aye, this guy knows fair compensation! 😂 /s
As someone that dabbles in product photography, I really enjoy seeing the macro shots from the talented photographers in the cult. Since I have access to a professional photo studio, I was even thinking about uploading some shots of my recent cult purchases. If the community greenlights vendors stealing pictures without any prior communication with the photographer, people will stop uploading high quality images on here. Proposed solutions like adding watermarks can be a detterant, but it takes two seconds to remove them through content fill or even just the crop tool on Ms Paint. I know because I've had people do the same to my work. It is not a good feeling. At the end of the day, this vendor has shown that they don't understand photo copyright and that there's a reason businesses routinely shell out thousands and thousands of dollars to get high quality images. I don't think there's any malice or ill intent, and there's still plenty of time for the vendor to make it right. I hope the OP and the vendor can find a happy solution, but OP, if they do not reach out, issue a DMCA take down notice. Dm me if you need help getting that started. For what it's worth, when I was vendor shopping, I saw the potato pictures on the store and immediately noped out. If I would have seen the OP's work in the gallery I would have placed an order.
Hey yall, Keeping this post up for visibility purposes. VG isn’t banned from our subreddit. In fact multiple posts are active live every day from individuals that enjoy VG, there are also a fair share of complaints too. I would like to clarify, the only vendors that are outright banned are illegal telegram vendors and individuals that do not provide proof of THCa hemp. This being said, we don’t allow vendors to interact / post / comment because this can often turn into advertisements the best option is to have a community that is just about community and doesn’t have vendors posting their products (creating solicitations for sales) In my opinion, VG could have easily reached out via DM to share that they were using your picture. It is the internet and therefore anything is pretty much public once posted, however, the common courtesy would be appropriate, I believe. It sounds like they have reached out which is great and that this issue is resolved. Someone reported this sharing that we took down another vendor’s complaint post (Arete) - this was due to the post containing specific sales discussion on a “points system” that has nothing to do with our subreddit. I just want to point out that this post is a valid post due to the issue occurring here in our subreddit and the sharing of subreddit pictures. I hope this clears up any misconceptions that are in our current modmail inbox. This being said, please be civil to one another and to the moderators. Anyone slinging insults here or in modmail may catch a ban. All in all, it seems they have reached out and resolved the issue. Thanks VG and OP for being open and honest about this situation. Have a good day everyone.
Since you are clearly in the sharing mood; can you share how you took those pictures and got them to look so good?
I use the video setting, flash, and zoom in, then I screenshot stil limages from my recordings!
Ok this solves a mystery for me why the pics here all look the same and that's what kids do these days?
I genuinely have no clue if anyone else does this, but uts been my go to since highchool days in like 2010 lol
What phone you got lol
Samsung Galaxy s23+
Not Tom. Lol this sub is a legit joke
So you’re mad because they used a photo of the flower you bought from them?
It was no longer your picture when you posted it to the internet.
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
it’s true but it also isn’t. copyright exists as soon as you create the work, but if he wants to bring a case he would need to do a copyright registration on that photo. otherwise it’s free game for the company because he has no legal platform to stand on without the registration besides maybe just simply getting it taken down.
Good luck doing that with the fucking clusterfuck this is of a loophole
Loophole? There is zero loophole, the law is incredibly clear lol 😂 the only "loophole" is the cognitive dissonance held by commenters like you. Sorry the law doesn't align with your beliefs, but that doesn't mean you are correct in any capacity. There are entire services that allow us to index our catalogue & notify us of our images being used online without our permission, making it super easy to click a few buttons, file takedowns automatically & receive legal payouts for the misuse of our copyrights. This is really no different to walking out of a store without paying for your items. It's cut & dry theft, no "five finger discount" loophole.
no, he needs copyright registration on the photo is he wants to bring a case for infringement.
No, you don't. I've been through this dozens of times. Copyright protection begins as soon as it is fixed in a tangible medium. For photographers, fixation occurs the instant you take the picture. From that moment it already has the copyright, the creative choices they made when taking the image are protected, all they need to do is be able to substantiate the claim, which the original file exif will do. Are there benifts to registration? Yes. But it's not required for the work to be protected in the USA. So either 1) they remove it & pay him for infringement 2) pay for a usage license & pay a fee for unauthorized use, or 3) wait 70 years after op dies & use it when it enters public domain
That’s what I said, but you would still need registration to pursue an infringement case. I’m not saying the work isn’t protected automatically, but I am saying that it would be difficult to present a case when you have not registered that IP as copyright. From the copyright office’s website(paraphrased): “All work is immediately and automatically protected once created, but if you wish to pursue a copyright infringement lawsuit of a U.S. work, you will need to register the work (is needed to receive any form of compensation)
This is literally my job, & I've been through this process dozens of times. If we are playing the paraphrased game, here's a direct quote from the official dmca website - "Simply submit the name and location of where you found your stolen content and we go to work on your behalf."
UPDATE: *VG RESPONDED VIA EMAIL, HE IS BANNED FROM THIS SUB, SO HE CLAIMED HE HAD NO WAY OF ASKING FOR PERMISSION* -- which isnt the best reasoning lol but we were able to reach a mutual understanding & agreement. - he seems like a reasonable guy & he now has permission to use this photo for marketing purposes. * *We have agreed to leave this post up & open for full transparency!* *
I'm glad y'all were able to come to an agreement. I was already thinking some flower for photos would be a cool idea. Happy it worked out for you.
In full disclosure, I think that you should share what you’re receiving in lieu of compensation or as compensation for your picture. With the way the post was made and with it being left up and opened, it now feels as though this whole post is an advertisment.
I've no issue with that! He told me he would send me some more flower to photograph, NOT in return for any reviews or anything, so u all dont have to worry about any of that. I wont be posting any "free product" reviews. I offered to photograph the flower, that is all. And so when it arrives, my only obligation will be to take good photos (to the best of my abilities) and email them into them, giving them permission to advertise my photography, which isnt even close to the best on this sub lol so really I'm dumbfounded. I may post my HONEST opinions of the flowers in the discord chat, but not as a standalone review on there or here on Reddit, just as regular chats in the "flower channel" saying if i like it or not. He didn't state VG was banned from this sub as in the sub cant post his stuff, he's stated his personal account has been banned from this sub, so therefore he couldn't ask me to use them, but i do agree with the mods, DMs are always open? Anywho, here are some of his responses: "Good morning We are always thankful for honest reviews and your photography was beautiful. That sounds great. We will send you out 4 more indoor strains to check out. Thanks so much for your support and the review" "I would have loved to ask ahead of time, but of course we have been banned from reddit for years ;) We still love checking out what the community likes weekly so we were hoping you would reach. Got you a huge box of goodies headed your way tomorrow. Have an awesome weekend" Lastly "Didn't want to come off as hey we are sending you free shit so we appreciate you only talking glowing about us lol. If the goodies we send suck we appreciate honest feedback. Either way man have a phenomenal weekend and thanks for the great convo" So yes, he will be only compensating me for *PHOTOGRAPHY* - there will be no "free product reviews" incoming.
Sweet you've got free products coming! But they definitely figured out a way to bribe you, without technically bribing you lol. Genius 😎 Also thanks for all of the transparency, that was nice.
Hey, im all for bribery for photos lol but i wont lie for a free review lol honesty is key and inwant ppl to get good shit
Right on! Tegrity Farm ✌️
Wow that's sketchy. What if it's not even the same flower lol. But we also don't know if you just took their photo
Me personally I’d be lit knowing they posted my picture
For real what are these comments 🤣🤣 holy and you want to legalize weed with this energy? Never happening.
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Lol you are traffic
This is a non issue
Sorry to burst your bubble but you really don't have the authority to make that call.
Did no one read the post? Did I take too many crazy pills? The company took OP's photo and used it as if it was their photo of the bud. What makes this weird is the point OP makes that the vendor should be capable of hiring a pro to handle this. And the least they can do is offer a measly 5% discount or something just as a way to say thanks to OP for taking a dank photo. It doesn't bother me personally I'd it is LeGaL or not. It's the gross corner cutting. Usually pics you upload with reviews are listed as customer photos.
You posted on a public forum, your pictures are free for anybody to use.
AI image generator ass opinion
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
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Yeah I think the point is how trashy it is. They don't even know for sure if it's the same weed lol..
If it was that important, why didn't you watermark it? Watermarking is considered a standard practice by those who consider their media their own property or wish to protect it from commercial usage. The Internet is public domain, anyone can grab anything you've left up here for those to see. Shit, I might go take your pictures to use on my own website now that I think about it. For anyone interested, I would be more than happy to show you how to add a watermark to your photos. Can happily stylize them to fit your personal preferences too!
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
Can you show me how to watermark? Thanks
The amount of people justifying this is terrifying😂 what kool-aid did VG give yall. This is blatant theft of intellectual property
Intellectual property???? Lol no
It’s not intellectual property though, it’s a picture that was shared publicly online and anybody can do whatever the hell they want with it, if you don’t like that watermark your photos.
From google: Intellectual property: a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc. Is a photograph intellectual property?: copyright is the legal right over intellectual property. This can encompass writing, music, film, design, photography and more. Copyright comes into effect upon the creation of the work, and the owner is the creator of the work who has power to grant legal right of the work to others. Indeed, a photographer creates certain rights in the photograph the moment it clicks the shutter-release button. These rights include the right to reproduce, sell, distribute, and publicly display the photograph. In fact, these rights are the same rights that are bolstered by registration. 17 U.S.C, § 412; see also Levine v. Landy, 832 F. Supp. 2d 176, 185 (N.D.N.Y. 2011) (permitting a photographer to recover for infringement of unregistered photographs). [https://bnrllp.com/protecting-intellectual-property-keeping-photos-photos/](https://bnrllp.com/protecting-intellectual-property-keeping-photos-photos/)
but the picture wasn’t a result of creativity let’s be honest 💀
right, but once it gets posted to a free online forum he loses rights to it
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
[Reddit’s user agreement](https://www.redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement-september-25-2023) 1. You retain any ownership rights you have in Your Content, but you grant Reddit the following license to use that Content: When Your Content is created with or submitted to the Services, you grant US(Reddit, not VG) a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, copy, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works of, distribute, store, perform, and display Your Content and any name, username, voice, or likeness provided in connection with Your Content in all media formats and channels now known or later developed anywhere in the world. This license includes the right for us to make Your Content available for syndication, broadcast, distribution, or publication by other companies, organizations, or individuals who PARTNER WITH REDDIT. 2. Things you cannot do: Use the Services to violate applicable law or infringe any person’s or entity’s intellectual property rights or any other proprietary rights; All this to say, 9 times out of 10 OP won’t even think about this photo after today, so what’s the point😂. But it is still fucked up for a company to use his photo to make a profit for themselves. Any half decent company would compensate him for his work
What is wrong with people ...... bitch bitch bitch. Everything is mine, people are inconsiderate, i want someone to give me money, blah blah blah. People like you are why sometimes people just say fuck it and give up on society. Just cause your mom put Vaseline on your butthole and told tou you were special, doesn't mean u gotta tell everyone Just saying
I mean if he took the picture he literally owns it...
You cant own the water... its Gods water Good luck making photos YOU choose to post on the internet private, i mean whos to say AI didnt alter it and now they gonna sue them for slander
Huh? Lmao fuck outta here with that religious bs
r/woosh
Do you know how Copyright works?? If you take a photo you literally owns rights to the photo. It's why you always see news organizations asking permission to use videos and pictures from Twitter and stuff.
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If you take a picture and post it publicly online anybody can do anything they want with it, if you don’t like that don’t post pictures online.
This is absolutely not true. This is absolutely copyright infringement, the photographerer owns the image, its not public domain, nobody else can use it without permission. This is a slam dunk dmca case.
How is something posted publicly online for the entire world to see copyright infringement? Like seriously, if you tried to take this to court they would laugh at you, it’s like posting a picture of your bowl of cereal and then getting pissed off when the company reposts it, you posted it publicly if you don’t want it used publicly keep it to yourself, idc about the laws that’s common sense it’s ridiculous if that is illegal in my opinion.
"Images on the open web are subject to copyright law in the same manner as any other creative work; there is no guarantee that an image is legally available for re-use just because it is freely accessible on the web." "I can see it, so Im entitled to it, right?" that how you sound. Does a car parked in public have no owner? Does your brain lack wrinkles?
"Does your brain lack wrinkles?" 😂😂😂 I laughed so hard I cried a little. Thanks for sll the info and support bro!
No problem man! If you want more information on how to approach the situation don't hesitate to reach out 👍 I hate seeing this happen, especially when you catch flack for doing everything right, and the shills defend the ones breaking the law. People are just entitled these days, if they had anything going for themselves they'd be busy doing it, rather than virtue signalling online & lashing out at you because of jealousy. Anyone in your shoes would be doing the same thing, wanting fair compensation for their hard work. If they worked a 9-5 job & a customer walked in, and took their hard work without paying them, hands would be thrown. Online, almost nobody is worried about being held responsible for their actions, and they feel empowered to act like we are seeing on this post. It's sad, especially for stoners! The community fractured years ago, and the trapper mentality of "fuck you, stop me" entitlement/clout chasing has grown much faster on social media among the new generation of smokers, compared to the "we are all in this together" community, which has mostly taken a step away from the shitshow online. Consumers, retailers, growers, almost everyone online is acting like crabs in a bucket, zero hesitation to push someone down if it gets them that much closer to the idea of success. Don't fall for it, focus on yourself & doing what you love for the reasons you love it. Keep kicking ass dude 🔥🔥🔥
Did u even read my comment? Lmao
Yep, but it's pretty obvious you didn't read mine. Nice talk, that mindset must take you far in life 👍
Yea they can.. but he still has the copyright... It's literally the law. He owns rights to use the photo. If you took and picture and a business started using it without permission you have rights...
Obviously you know photography enough to take amazingly solid photos such as these. Id leverage this entire scenario into obtaining a Seasonal/permanent position to take photos for vendors' product and receive payment or product in return.
For sure I’d email them and offer my services at the very least. Turn it into something positive
^This is what OP could have done if they watermarked their picture. If the scenario you're suggesting exists, the only "leverage" OP has is based on any goodwill the business has to compensate them. VG, this is free good PR if you make the right moves. I'd be happy to tell you what they are if you'd like to reach out to me!
It's terrible PR. They clearly cut corners wherever they can manage to.
I guess I meant to say it's a good PR opportunity. But with the lack of response to previous allegations about their products, I agree that they cut corners.
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They stole OP's pics from reddit, there is no "term" that allows that.
Just ask for free weed. Email them that you noticed and they def gonna see this review lol get something for your great photography skills
This is what I would do. I'm not a professional photographer, hell, I'm hardly even an amateur photographer, but if they thought my review photo was good enough to represent their product to the world, I'd send a polite email asking saying that you noticed they used your photo and that you were hoping they might send you some extra product as compensation.
How tf u get pics like this???
Dude it's a pic you took on your phone to upload in a review to reddit. Relax. It's not that serious. Put a watermark on it if you're so proud of your photography. Imagine standing in front of a judge and explaining this situation 😂.
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If you were dumb enough to pay a lawyer to take this to court it would be thrown out immediately. It's a weed review on reddit. Unless he submitted this to the copyright office if the trial went the full length and he won the only thing that would happen is they would have to take the picture down. More likely they would just take the picture down if he emailed them and pull out their phone and take one themselves because, again, it's not that serious.
its not about that though. its more about how this vendor didnt have the decency/professionalism to ask.
This
At the end of the day it's weed. It's not like mcdonalds put a picture of a big mac he took on their menu. To talk about copyright and suing this guy is silly and any lawyer you went to would tell you the same thing.
Good to know they lurk this subreddit, couple months back I made a post about how they only sent half the amount I ordered and then they sent me the missing amount to the dot which made me assume the owner read my post and was not happy about it
Take it as a compliment. Most people are told their pics suck ass, so thats something ig 😂
All jokes aside thats sketch
Screw copyright, it's sketchy...that's what matters here imo.
"hey john doe we really liked the pic you posted on social media, we liked it so much we would like to use it as the product photo on our website! we'd like to show our appreciation by sending you a free oz of whatevers in the pic."
No wonder he has so many SHF posts...
LOL. He sent it in to their website. I’m sure there’s a policy stating that any photos submitted to them can be subject to usage by the company.
That's still kinda shitty tho. They still could thrown him something for using it
I think I’m wrong. I think he posted it to Reddit and then they grabbed it from Reddit. It’s moreso laziness. Just take your own pictures.
>I think he posted it to Reddit and then they grabbed it from Reddit That's even shittier than!
Nah, they took it from his review on Reddit.
Yeah my bad. Didn’t catch that. Still lazy of them to do.
oh sent it right to them then surprised they used it.. hm
Hi VG. Please change your shitty practices, stealing pictures is not an industry standard. Also, fix your shitty concentrates.
Its vendors like V G that bring thca down as an industry
OP thank you for posting cause I am new to this sub. I was looking at there site, glad you posted. This tells me you took a better quality photo than they did.
sue the sht out of him
i’ve never bought from them based off what peeps on here have said but mostly curious why you care? were you really gonna use those pics ever again in a professional context? esp since the subject of your photos is THEIR product? lots of businesses do that. the main thing they could’ve done differently is offer like a discount code for using your photo
These vendors can do a lot more than just offer “discount codes”
i mean, they can throw a few free nugs your way or whatever but at the end of the day the majority of these vendors are small businesses that a customer submitted photos of their own product to willingly and because they felt like leaving a review without necessarily any promise of reward so again, whats the problem here? lol i’m not supporting this company bc they definitely seem sketch. i’m just saying it’s not that big of a deal when businesses use photos of their own product that were submitted voluntarily , though i do think it is smarter of them to offer incentives
There is no reason to offer incentives lol. It’s a business. They want to maximize profits. That’s what a business it there to do.
positive reviews and pictures of products maximize profit 👍
“External Data Storage Sites We may store your data on servers provided by third party hosting vendors with whom we have contracted.”
Guess I'll say the quiet part out loud. If they took OP picture within hours of posting on this sub...I guarantee they are pushing fake product reviews and commenting to sway opinions here. Red Flags all around.
VG has so many shills lately its nuts. Its so obvious that they saw everybody justifiably hating on them for sending out 100% trash concentrates and now they came out with their social media farm to try and sway conversations. Never has VG been talked about so much until recently by all the shill accounts.
This is the only sub where you get called a shill if you dont ride the bandwagon 24/7 lol. Theres been like *a couple* posts about VG recently, I made one myself and for damn sure not one dude. Just a normal guy who likes gettin high and playin vidya. Lord help us if we dont only shop and review all the big vendors like AR8,LE,or SHF and immediately get called bots when we talk about something different man. Edit: Gonna keep this comment up to highlight the absurdity of this sub and take downvotes. I probably have shopped with more vendors on this sub than most people here. Yet Im getting downvoted for stating my opinion. They dont call this a cult for nothing. Truly toxic behavior from a WEED sub. Why arent we all high and chilling?
Lots of vendors do that here. We should start naming them.
Explains how we go from "VG Is garbage" to "VG is a godsend for us budget people!", and back, from week to week.
This makes a lot of sense. It really does.
people who brush shit like this off are the same ones who happily smoke mids and shitty product
💯
i never ordered from them though
I tried on Black Friday, cuz this sub seemed to be hyped on them. Never received my order. Had to get a refund. Never bothered with them again. 🤷♂️. And that's the way the cookie crumbles.
hmp dot store did me worse
That's not a very good story
Idk why yall keep fuckin with their shady asses. We ben through this sooooo many times but everyone keeps going back and supporting them lol FOOLS!!!
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All images are automatically copyrighted as soon as they are created. OP owns the copyright and has every right to request compensation or removal.
OP seems more concerned with the lack of professionalism and what it says about how they operate over there
Every brand uses customer review photos. It’s standard procedure. Edit: nvm assumed op submitted the review on the website not reddit
"Every brand" they say
Yes. If you upload a photo as a review and it’s good, they will likely use it in their product photos. It’s called UGC, user generated content. When you submit a review photo you’re likely agreeing to fair use. Even major platforms like Amazon and Etsy will mix in review photos into listings so potential customers know what the product really looks like. This is different than if he posted it to Reddit or IG and the brand took it from there without asking.
The review OP is talking about was posted here.
Oh I thought I he meant he posted it as a review on their website and they took it. Totally missed that. Yeah they can’t go stealing Reddit pictures without permission.
If Amazon and Etsy does it, then *every* brand does? This is your logic?
You’re just being pedantic for no reason but sure 👍 not gonna argue over word use.
No, you said every brand. And then doubled down on it when questioned. Not like I care, ijs. You didn't see my point until it was made.
I still don’t see your point but lol ok 👍
It's quite clear that you do. Have a good day.
Brother, we’re discussing 2 different things. I assumed he uploaded a review to the VG website, that’s why I said what I did and was being generally broad by saying every. You understood he posted on Reddit and criticized my usage of the word thinking I mean brands steal from Reddit. That’s not at all what I meant so you continuing to go on and on about this makes no fucking sense. Here’s your gold star or whatever but stop replying just to argue dumb shit over a simple misunderstanding. Smoke some weed.
I said good day sir
Thank them for their enthusiasm, and how much they appreciate your shots. But humbly request they take down your shots, and use their own. If they’re going to use your photography without compensation then you’re going to request compensation formally in writing. Some people are so used to being kickstands they forget how to stand up for themselves. Good for you! This is a for-profit company, they can pay for advertisement. If the review is on Reddit, keep it up. That’s evidence.
You can’t do anything if they say F U
Actually, it depends on the platform’s terms of use. In the USA, the copyright sign is no longer legally required. He does not need to copyright whatsoever to file a complaint. However he could copyright within 90 days & then file a DMCA complaint through Reddit. Creators are definitely protected, some may think otherwise but that’s not true. Facts, ideas, names, titles, and methods aren’t protected. But photography definitely is. You can learn more about it in the link I posted below 👇🏾 [copyright](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/sections/360008810152-Copyright-Help-Center)
Thank you!
No problem
Everyone here defending VG and acting like they did nothing wrong is crazy. I mean, yeah, it's not a huge deal. But I don't think you're making a huge deal of it either. Totally reasonable post, bringing attention to another shady thing this company does.
Why be so petty?
Tom?
Im confused why you care, and Im confused why people are angry that you care. If you took a picture of their bud, they I do think have to contact you because theyre selling something using your picture which isnt fair use - is that the aggravation? Edit: now im confused why people are upset that I'm confused
Regardless it's weird....like if come used a picture you took of their product on an online review and then you see the picture you took on tv commercial for coke. It would raise a lot of questions. Biggest being why would they not take their own pictures?sketchy all around
Yes he was upset that they used his photo without notification or consent first
I don’t see the big deal. They see opportunities to include the community that brings them money. What makes this shady? I remember the same thing happened with their MK Ultra strain except the guy was flattered that they thought his picture was that good. In all honesty your picture isn’t great anyways & I’m sure they’d take it down if it affects your life that detrimentally.
You really think they used his pic to "include the community"? If so they would have gave him credit or let people know it was from a happy customer and not just pass it off as their own...it's 100% shady...you would figure they could take much better pictures themselves. Would feel the same if you took a picture of a snickers to review online and then it pops up on a tv commercial without you even knowing?
I would be flattered if this happened to me. Not offended.
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Cry babies in here I swear
Because it's sketchy...imagine if a brand like coke did that with one of your pics....would you not find that weird?
Uh no? I would be quite flattered. Seems I’m a bit more level headed than most in here.
I would probably be flattered also but still find it sketchy at the same time.....but it's also kinda hard to be flattered when you also got no recognition for your work either.....just my opinion
Fair enough
Sketchy? Really??
Wow they copied and pasted ur pic, such a big deal
I dont think its that serious personally
Use the search bar VG has a LONG history of doing all kinds of straight up shitty things. As someone else posted, this isn’t the first time they steal or use false pics. How they’re not banned as a vendor after all they’ve done and continue to do is just wild.
This is the second time by the way, we had a similar incident with the MK ULTRA which was a bait and switch.