Google image search and copyrighted material

I highly recommend using Googles image search to find your copyrighted images that may be shown on websites you haven't authorized.

The address is images.google.com.  Once the page loads you'll see a familiar text box with a camera icon over to the right. Click the camera and it'll ask you for an uploaded file or a web address to check against other images on the web.

That's how I found my bacon fabric out in the vast web.  The guy illegally selling my design on Zazzle products intimating that he doodles in MS Paint and thought he'd make some money off of his doodles.  I also found a low-res photo of the bacon on the Food Network.

The Food Network has a blog entry displaying my bacon fabric and has a link directly to my fabric.  I had no issue with them doing such but did ask that they replace the non-watermarked image with a watermarked image.  Within 24 hours it was changed out and I am one happy camper. They were easy to work with, communicated with me easily and it totally made my day.  They gave credit to me via the link from the time the post was first published, and they did use a low-res image originally so yay to them for doing the right thing in the first place!

Zazzle has been a little more difficult to work with. My original email to them was 6 days ago.  I sent links to the Zazzle products and my copyrighted upload which includes some dates (although the dates are vague by not showing exact upload date/time but does include copyright marks with my name on top of the image.   I asked that it be taken down and an accounting of the sellers commissions be given to me. My next email was to swear under perjury that the image belonged to me. The 3rd email offered up original photos (my design is seamless not just a single shot of bacon), I offered up an exact upload date and asked them to compare with their sellers info.  In the midst of all of that they asked if I wanted to exchange contact into with the seller.  I'm stymied why they don't suspend an account while there is an investigation going on.

I still have not gotten notification from Zazzle about the state of my design. Nor do I have anything that shows how much money he's made off of my design despite asking for that in my first email.

I wanted to be the nice girl about it, give the guy and Zazzle a chance to do the right thing.  Now that we're closing in on a week the attorney letter on letterhead is being written.  I'm lucky to have lawyer friends!  I really hope it doesn't come to me to have to send an attorney letter, I would really rather have a cooperative exchange like I did with the Food Network.