Monica Sweetheart eBay scam: How mad should I be?

Author	Post
ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:11AM So I was running searches on eBay to kill time at work, and looked to see what might come up for "Monica Sweetheart." Mostly just photographs. Apparently there's a market out there for 4x6 prints of pornstars, mainly from Adult Expos, it seems. Well, lo and behold, one guy is selling an alleged "real photo" of Monica that I took this January in Las Vegas. He obviously poached the scan from a little AEE page I did, or from here in a thread about the Expo: My Monica pic here at ADT This is the eBay item listing. The photo is lower middle: The offending item So, two questions: 1) Should I feel violated in any way? This guy's trying to make money by printing out a scan of my photo (and misleading people about the nature of what they're getting). I don't know what the copyright issues may be, but it seems pretty sleazy. 2) How many of the other photos are stolen? Some of them look familiar to me from here or other Adult Expo reports on the web. aybesea , one of those Monica pictures looks like yours from the same thread, and I recognized an Aurora Snow "photo" he's selling is yours as well. (Other auctions by this guy) Is this just a live-and-let-live situation, or worth taking note of somehow? (edited to update a link) Edited by - obibong on Mar 6 2003 [Link]
Yani Z Vizual Films 179 Posts 2/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:20AM Maybe you should but a watermark at the lower right hand corner of photo saying obibong.com lol just kidding!!! :-) couldn't help myself! [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:23AM I'd be fucking LIVID. Where's your cut for providing this guy with source material? I'd find the eBay address for reporting fraud or selling pirated material and fire off an e-mail a day until his auctions are taken down. You are the copyright holder of the photo; assert your right or get him to pony up some dough as a reproduction fee. There's a reason most pro photogs won't give you the negatives -- they want you to buy all prints and reprints from them. Leave him negative feedback if possible. [Link]
Yani Z Vizual Films 179 Posts 2/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:31AM OK Legally as the photographer you have all rights to the image no matter what. It automatic even if you give up the negs or chromes, that is the law! So if you did not give permission to use your shot in this manner then you can collect damages. The big Q's is how much time do you want to wast on this fool! Yani Z [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:43AM In fact, I am livid since I see rame.net was also ripped off. Fucking thief. "On our auctions you will find nothing but "Real Photos" and not printer print outs made by deskjet, inkjet, or laser printers. " How the fuck can that be when the negatives to some of them are sitting in Holland?!? OnlineNIC Whois Search Results Registrant : jeff figueiredo [address snipped just because] Domain Name: vlantech.com {vlantech.com } Registration Date : 2002-4-20 Expiration Date : 2004-4-20 Last update :2002-12-26 14:06:01 Administrator: Figueiredo, Jeff jeff@vlantech.com 828-265-9436 [Link]

ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:52AM Yani Z wrote: The big Q's is how much time do you want to waste on this fool! Click to expand Yeah, as pathologically lazy as I am, I just kind of hope aybesea or someone else who's been ripped off is alerted to this and takes it seriously. But muchas gracias for the advice from both of you. Since I can email both the guy and eBay while sitting here on my ass, I've just done so. And thanks AM FAQ for validating my first reaction... I was afraid I might be overreacting. But I would never put a watermark on my work. I couldn't do that to my fans. Heh. [Link]
FastForward Member 60 Posts 1/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 4:09AM OK, can someone post where to neg this moocher? I'll do it myself, but please, please let this link not be guarded by the screen demanding your credit card even to frickin look. The tactic so obviously doesn't work as an "adult check" that it smells like a scam in itself. Plenty of so-called innocent chiiiilllddren know full well how to sail past it, just as they know that they can't be held accountable even for charging a shitstorm of stuff. OTOH, the scam never stops to stick real adults with big bills for buying nothing. [Link]
ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 5:18AM Update: He's removed my picture from the Monica Sweetheart auction and relisted it. But aybesea's photo is still shown in that one, as well as in auctions for pictures of Aurora Snow and Kaylynn (at least). (edited to correct typo in "aybesea") Edited by - obibong on 3/6/2003 5:44:35 AM [Link]
PornoBoy Member 145 Posts 7/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 10:08AM Contact E-bay and tell them the facts...plus everyone here should leave some "negative feedback" in this guys' rating...explaining the situation. [Link]
Drew Black broken crankshaft 8011 Posts 9/99	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 10:46AM You can only leave feedback if you have purchased something from the seller in this auction. The only thing you can do in this case is contact Ebay to get the items delisted. They tend to be quick with the trigger finger on porn related auctions. They pulled the plug on a seller that was stealing our bandwidth by displaying covers from our server in his auctions. Took less than 8 hours for the auctions to be removed. In my case it was pretty obvious that the guy was stealing bandwidth. It will be harder to convince them that you are really the original photographer. Ebay does have discussion forums . You might be able to make some progress or get additional feedback there. Edited by - Drew Black on 3/6/2003 10:47:06 AM [Link]
Sharkeez Member 110 Posts 2/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 12:52PM I'm trying to help out. I sent this guy a message through ebay, telling him to remove the pictures from his auctions. I think if enough people do the same, he'll get the clue and maybe avoid doing this in the future. It's worth a shot. [Link]
aybesea Senior Member Caroline Cage - Hungarian Hottie! 1485 Posts 5/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 2:23PM Obi, thanks for the heads up! I have reported these auctions as a violation of ebay's listing rules. I have requested that they delist them and remove him as a user. We will see what happens. Thanks again, aybesea [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:23PM Ayb --- Do you have a link to the eBay reporting page or an e-mail addy? Their byzantine menu system makes me want to do unmentionable things to small animals and I don't have the patience today to sort thru it all. :) Thanks! Jeff [Link]
Sharkeez Member 110 Posts 2/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:24PM I guess this guy didn't like my message to him... "Yeah am I'm sure you and the other 15 sellers who have the same exact picture do have the rights to them. Why don't you get a life find something else to do then to browse auctions and e-mail people about them. Please enough with the threats I am real scared that I won't get away with it much longer, oh no what will I do. So why don't you go f**k yourself like a good little boy. Don't e-mail me again or I will report you to ebay for harassment. You got it sharkeez...." I went ahead and told him that maybe people do have the same pictures, but that he's selling them for profit...that's the difference. I told him to get off his lazy ass and go take his own pictures. [Link]
MLyons Senior Member 1617 Posts 8/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 3:56PM I guess we know how Jules feels now, eh? Mike L. [Link]

Saki At-Large 2087 Posts 11/99	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 4:14PM Information on eBay's Verified Rights Owner program - Saki [faqs] [Link]
aybesea Senior Member Caroline Cage - Hungarian Hottie! 1485 Posts 5/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 4:18PM from the ebay Auto Responder (emphasis added): Thank you for your report. We would like to let you know that we have received your email and we will thoroughly investigate the information you have provided. Please keep in mind that the actions taken on a specific listing are confidential and between eBay and the seller. We will not be able to keep you abreast of any developments for privacy reasons, but we assure you that we will thoroughly examine this information. If you believe an item is potentially infringing and it was not removed by eBay, we encourage you to contact the rights owner and inform them of the alleged infringement. Rights owners may request the removal of listings they feel infringe upon their rights through eBay's Verified Rights Owner (VeRO) Program. If you would like to see information provided by the rights owners about items that may infringe their rights and how to contact them, please visit our list of VeRO Program participant About Me pages. http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/vero-aboutme.html If you are a rights owner and would like more information regarding the VeRO Program, please visit: http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/vero-program.html We appreciate your concerns and we thank you for helping to keep eBay a safe and reputable forum in which to conduct business. Regards, The eBay Community Watch Team Click to expand If you go to the second link, there are detailed instructions for reporting this type of theft. Edited by - aybesea on 3/6/2003 4:19:20 PM [Link]
morbidthoughts All-Star Member Big cats scare me but... 3628 Posts 1/03	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 5:17PM What I don't understand is how he could turn some of those photos into 4X6's without its looking really bad/obvious. I intentionally shrunk my AEE photos to something where you couldn't even print out a good 3X5. If you guys need to know more about your IP rights, gimme a holla. [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 5:43PM thanks Saki. I e-mailed both him and eBay. Let's see if I am as lucky as Sharkeez. :-) [Link]
garcon98 Member Region 1 NTSC 82 Posts 4/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 5:45PM Do some documentation. Get some screenshots of his auctions which you think consists of copyrighted materials. If the items are removed from eBay and placed back up again, you will have some evidence that this guy is a flagrant copyright infringer and take some serious actions. Good luck. [Link]
ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 6:52PM My email communications with the guy were, shall we say, unproductive. First he accused me of lying about having taken the picture. Then he claimed that lots of people were selling those pictures, and that he had bought the pictures on eBay and was just reproducing them. (One bit of information I did get is that he is using a sub-dye printer to create the prints. I don't know how good those things are, but they are expensive.) When I asked him to link me to the completed auction where he bought it, or give me the name of another seller that had listed that picture, that's when I got the "why don't you find something else to do" and "I'll report you for harassment" email. Whatever. I'd just remind people here to search his completed auctions as well as the ones currently active. (edited for typo) Edited by - obibong on 3/6/2003 6:53:18 PM [Link]
Janitor Retired Porno movies, sexy videos, xxx. Adult DVD Talk at your service. 6409 Posts 11/99	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 7:00PM Why are there so many jackasses in the world? Sorry, I have nothing useful to add... [Link]
Ramsey Senior Member Trina Michaels fan 10332 Posts 10/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 7:24PM I wouldn't call them jackasses, I would call them thiefs! [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 8:03PM I didn't get the Sharkeez treatment (yet) I got this nugget, similar to ObiBong... just to let you know these pictures were not from your website and I think you need to take a look at other auctions because they to are using the same pictures so you can tell that idiot who e-mailed you about them that they were taken down. You may want to check him out because he is selling the same pictures. Click to expand I proceeded to explain to him it made no difference where he got the pix, they're still unlicensed and if he wanted to tell me the "other guys" with the auctions, I'd be happy to report them too. :-) [Link]
Jeff @ IAFD Webmaster IAFD.COM 931 Posts 6/00	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 8:05PM Checking eBay -- it seems quite a few of his auctions are gone. Dunno if it was him or eBay. :-) These must be the shortest auctions on record: Started Mar-06-03 10:42:38 PST Ends Mar-06-03 16:59:42 PST Edited by - adult movie faq on 3/6/2003 8:13:21 PM [Link]

garcon98 Member Region 1 NTSC 82 Posts 4/02	Posted - Mar 6 2003 : 8:18PM It looks like he ended himself. If it was eBay, the entire listing would have been deleted with a note that the item is invalid or no longer in the database. [Link]
Janitor Retired Porno movies, sexy videos, xxx. Adult DVD Talk at your service. 6409 Posts 11/99	Posted - Apr 14 2003 : 1:20PM I received an email from jeff@vlantech.com I recently received e-mails from one of your board users about a photo I was selling on ebay was his property. I have since removed all auctions regarding this material. I have come along a thread on your website where this discussion was brought up. I noticed that one of your users posted my NAME, WEB ADDRESS, and HOME PHONE NUMBER. I have not provided this information nor have I ever agreed to the use of this inofrmation. I have been harrassed via e-mail, and telephone. Since this posting is against your policy and many laws I would appreciate it if you would remove this thread. This material isd public through whois search results but if you look the posting of it on your website but someone other than myself is illegal. By you keeping it posted you are illegally soliciting my name and phone number for harrassment purposes. I hope we can come to an understandment and resolve this issue. I have issued a complaint with the FTC and they told me to make contact with you. Please remove this thread. Thank You Click to expand [Link]
aybesea Senior Member Caroline Cage - Hungarian Hottie! 1485 Posts 5/02	Posted - Apr 14 2003 : 1:24PM I feel really bad for this guy. I sure am glad he ran to the protection of the law to shelter himself from we hooligans at ADT. After all, he was just minding his own business! [Link]
BigFerret creampie scientist Searching for blonde and red bush 1985 Posts 10/02	Posted - Apr 14 2003 : 1:25PM An "understandment," eh? [Link]
morbidthoughts All-Star Member Big cats scare me but... 3628 Posts 1/03	Posted - Apr 14 2003 : 11:54PM I'd like to find out the laws he's talking about, If the info is indeed available in a public database... From the FTC's own site: It has been clear since the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Cox Broadcasting Corp. v. Cohn that personal privacy concerns do not permit the government to prohibit the publication of truthful information in the public record. Click to expand If the info is considered private: From findlaw: Another theory of liability is "public disclosure of private facts." Under this theory, the information published is true, but will support liability if the fact was private (not publicly known), highly offensive to a person of ordinary sensibilities, and unnewsworthy or lacking "public interest" (i.e., no real reason the public needs to know). While it is alright to criticize your neighbor''s product he has offered for sale in the marketplace, it is not okay while critiquing his product to lambast him for having AIDS, if that is not publicly known and newsworthy. Click to expand [Link]
skronker Notable Legendary Icon Scopophiliac 9780 Posts 9/02	Posted - Apr 15 2003 : 12:45AM This shit is hilarious. What a fucking dork! [Link]
skronker Notable Legendary Icon Scopophiliac 9780 Posts 9/02	Posted - Apr 15 2003 : 12:50AM ..... This material isd public through whois search results but if you look the posting of it on your website but someone other than myself is illegal. By you keeping it posted you are illegally soliciting my name and phone number for harrassment purposes. Click to expand On the other hand, maybe he needs the extra cash for night school, to gain a firmer grasp on English syntax. [Link]
morbidthoughts All-Star Member Big cats scare me but... 3628 Posts 1/03	Posted - May 10 2003 : 2:28AM ObiBong wrote: Well, lo and behold, one guy is selling an alleged "real photo" of Monica that I took this January in Las Vegas. He obviously poached the scan from a little AEE page I did, or from here in a thread about the Expo: My Monica pic here at ADT Click to expand I think this guy also stole your picture unless I just came across your website. :) Great idea with the baseballs. [Link]
DenverDon Benevolent Firmly Embedded in Depravity 5914 Posts 7/02	Posted - May 10 2003 : 2:36AM Yeah morbid, Pixel for pixel, those pics of Monica are identical. ObiBong, is that your site? [Link]
ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - May 10 2003 : 11:17AM Actually, that's a rough draft version of the report I put up so my out-of-town friends could see some pictures. I was just practicing my shitty html there. But yeah, that's all my material. So it's legal. I forgot that was up there. I may actually kill that free site now, so there'll be a dead link above ... friggin' popup hell for anyone who went there anyway. [Link]

BIGmike B-I-G-m-i-k-e 2335 Posts 3/01	Posted - May 10 2003 : 3:18PM Well, I totally missed this thread, as everything here is news to me. I wonder if any schmucks out there are using my images? Next year I will see about adding watermarks to my pictures, something like "BIGmike from AdultDVDtalk" though I can't see how anyone would want mine... the images were shrunken down so much that if you blew 'em up they would look even shittier. Good thing I still have all the originals and some I didn't post ”Time and money, two things I have so little of. But if I had both, I’d be bored and rich.” –BIGmike. [Link]
ObiBong Senior Member 1162 Posts 12/02	Posted - May 10 2003 : 7:28PM When all this came up a couple months ago, I briefly thought about the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" school and maybe seeing how much money there is in selling these pictures. It seems like there's a couple (legit) guys who sell an awful lot. But being the lazy bastard that I am, I would never get around to it. It's funny, I remember that when I was getting a picture of Jill Kelly signing a ball for me, someone (I think it was Ashton Moore) saying, "Oh, that's going right up on eBay!" I assured them it never would, though. [Link]