[STOCKPHOTO] Facts on the loss with ACCLAIM IMAGES

[dietmar_scholtz]

Hello you all out there,

I spended my whole Christmas Day today with searching, tracking and
checking images i gave to acclaim for sale, writing mails to people
who downloaded and so on.

As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from acclaim
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i personally
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50% the
photographer should have received.

Mr. Fred Voetsch who calls himselfe the OWNER of ACCLAIM IMAGES, only
responded to that fact, that he is not willing to pay anything if the
sales are not collected.

Well, i am sorry for him but we are not talking about peanuts or
something, we talk about real money lossed because ACCLAIM IMAGES was
unable to protect the rights of a photographer and made a big
business decision - that says better give "some" pictures away for
free than looking after what is done with the images. Sorry, the
world doesn`t run that way, Mr. Voetsch.

I am really looking forward to the response my US-Laywer will get
from ACCLAIM IMAGES, and i am also looking forward to see what the
FBI will respond regarding my message to their business-fraud unit.

Also, because Mr. Voetsch is not willing to find any suitable
solution for this problem, i will of cause bring this whole story to
court. Anybody who wants to join in please feel free to contact me
directly via E-Mail at ***@stock4u.de

Greetings and a pleasant X-Mas

Dietmar Scholtz
Germany
www.stock4u.de

[Sean Locke]

Hi,

What are you doing exactly? Are you just emailing them, and saying
"Hey, I saw you downloaded a comp from Acclaim. Did you end up using
it, and what for?"

Sean L.

Post by dietmar_scholtz
Hello you all out there,
I spended my whole Christmas Day today with searching, tracking and
checking images i gave to acclaim for sale, writing mails to people
who downloaded and so on.
As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from acclaim
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i personally
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50% the
photographer should have received.
Mr. Fred Voetsch who calls himselfe the OWNER of ACCLAIM IMAGES, only
responded to that fact, that he is not willing to pay anything if the
sales are not collected.
Well, i am sorry for him but we are not talking about peanuts or
something, we talk about real money lossed because ACCLAIM IMAGES was
unable to protect the rights of a photographer and made a big
business decision - that says better give "some" pictures away for
free than looking after what is done with the images. Sorry, the
world doesn`t run that way, Mr. Voetsch.
I am really looking forward to the response my US-Laywer will get
from ACCLAIM IMAGES, and i am also looking forward to see what the
FBI will respond regarding my message to their business-fraud unit.
Also, because Mr. Voetsch is not willing to find any suitable
solution for this problem, i will of cause bring this whole story to
court. Anybody who wants to join in please feel free to contact me
Greetings and a pleasant X-Mas
Dietmar Scholtz
Germany
www.stock4u.de

[dietmar_scholtz]

Dear Sean,

well, it is not THAT simple. I spended a lot of time using google to
find out wether there are websites, than searching the websites and
so on.
If i found a used picture on a corporate website i wrote directly to
the owner of the site / ceo or similiar in cc and to the downloaders
e-mail adress and tell them "the story", the facts of international
copyright protection, date of download and the possibilitys to pay
for the use, sending a screenshot with the e-mail.

By some private persons i just tried my luck and wrote them that i
know they downloaded a picture and asked directly where they are
using it. Got a good response and I am sure that it is possible to
collect some of the money that should have been paied. Also i must
give them the possibility to pay to acclaim which will mean a long
way to collect the money i guess

Post by Sean Locke
Hi,
What are you doing exactly? Are you just emailing them, and saying
"Hey, I saw you downloaded a comp from Acclaim. Did you end up using
it, and what for?"
Sean L.

Post by dietmar_scholtz
Hello you all out there,
I spended my whole Christmas Day today with searching, tracking and
checking images i gave to acclaim for sale, writing mails to

people

Post by Sean Locke

Post by dietmar_scholtz
who downloaded and so on.
As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from acclaim
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i

personally

Post by Sean Locke

Post by dietmar_scholtz
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50% the
photographer should have received.
Mr. Fred Voetsch who calls himselfe the OWNER of ACCLAIM IMAGES, only
responded to that fact, that he is not willing to pay anything if the
sales are not collected.
Well, i am sorry for him but we are not talking about peanuts or
something, we talk about real money lossed because ACCLAIM IMAGES was
unable to protect the rights of a photographer and made a big
business decision - that says better give "some" pictures away for
free than looking after what is done with the images. Sorry, the
world doesn`t run that way, Mr. Voetsch.
I am really looking forward to the response my US-Laywer will get
from ACCLAIM IMAGES, and i am also looking forward to see what the
FBI will respond regarding my message to their business-fraud unit.
Also, because Mr. Voetsch is not willing to find any suitable
solution for this problem, i will of cause bring this whole story to
court. Anybody who wants to join in please feel free to contact me
Greetings and a pleasant X-Mas
Dietmar Scholtz
Germany
www.stock4u.de

[Marco Secchi]

Last week when the Comps page was made available I found about 30 out
of 200 images since September but they were suspiciosly mainly
December and November

Most were fake email addresses
Found 3 images used and wrote to them to stop using my picture
illegally. They were private people anyway...
All images have been removed.

As I said I had only 200 images...I decided that my main concern was
not to waste time with a loser....
I also started to doubt the all operation....from the adverts to the
reporting on Prints Sale...

Now I have only 60$ to get in January for an old image they sold.
Let's wait and see...the boat sinking!
I am glad to be out.

Marco

Post by dietmar_scholtz
Mr. Fred Voetsch who calls himselfe the OWNER of ACCLAIM IMAGES, only
responded to that fact, that he is not willing to pay anything if the
sales are not collected.

[Fred]

Post by Marco Secchi
Last week when the Comps page was made available I found about 30 out
of 200 images since September but they were suspiciosly mainly
December and November
Most were fake email addresses

If the emails are fake then those people didn't get the images since
the images go out to those emails.

Fred Voetsch
Acclaim Images

[dietmar_scholtz]

Post by Fred
If the emails are fake then those people didn't get the images

since

Post by Fred
the images go out to those emails.
Fred Voetsch
Acclaim Images

*lmao*

Sorry Mr. Voetsch,

first - you missed to write OWNER to your signature...

From my own experience from these stolen images, the E-Mail adresses
in some cases seem to be fake - but they haven`t been at the time the
people downloaded the images (which in "the old days" didn`t need a
registration as you very well know). Some people use to change emails
very often or have a large number of email adresses "in stock".

So sorry, Mr. Voetsch - but this is nor the way you`ll get out of
this :o)

[Marco Secchi]

Fred

you decided to pick it up but you should know what I mean...or may be
you need more advertising for Acclaim Images.
I may have used fake in the wrong way. English in not my first
language. You should have understood anyway.

I meant email that do not exist any longer that were opened only for
the purpose of downloading or getting the images. Domains that do not
exist. I work with Rex and CP, Both use comps BUT to register is very
though, you need to be a business, to have a "proper" email not the
usual hotmail, yahoo etc etc. They phone you and check to see who you are.
A simple registration with a "pretend" email sorry bu is not enough
for me!
KR
Marco

Post by Fred

Post by Marco Secchi
Last week when the Comps page was made available I found about 30 out
of 200 images since September but they were suspiciosly mainly
December and November
Most were fake email addresses

If the emails are fake then those people didn't get the images since
the images go out to those emails.
Fred Voetsch
Acclaim Images

[SharonD]

Is there something about the comps I'm missing? I requested a comp of
one of my own photos to see what Acclaim provides for the comps and I
received an email of a very small photo with a big watermark across it.
What use is that to anyone? Thanks for explaining!

Post by dietmar_scholtz
As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from acclaim
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i personally
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50% the
photographer should have received.

[Darlene Bordwell]

Post by SharonD

I received an email of a very small photo with a big watermark

across it.
What use is that to anyone? <<

Hi, Sharon,

Apparently until recently, the comps were relatively large-ish,
usable images with a very small (possibly erasable or croppable)
watermark in one corner. I believe Fred made some changes last week
after Cindy Voetsch made the problem known to Acclaim photographers;
you apparently downloaded one of the new, improved comps.

If you search the archives for this forum at http://
www.stockphoto.net/Archives.php , you can probably find the entire
discussion -- I think the thread title was "Are your images being
stolen?"

Best,
Darlene

www.DarleneBordwell.com

Post by SharonD
Is there something about the comps I'm missing? I requested a comp of
one of my own photos to see what Acclaim provides for the comps and I
received an email of a very small photo with a big watermark across it.
What use is that to anyone? Thanks for explaining!

As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from

acclaim

where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i

personally

have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50%

the

photographer should have received.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[SharonD]

I definitely do not have a problem with the comps the way they look
now. I don't see how they could be any use to anyone as small as they
are with a big watermark across the middle. Guess they'll have to buy
them now :)!

Post by Darlene Bordwell
Hi, Sharon,
Apparently until recently, the comps were relatively large-ish,
usable images with a very small (possibly erasable or croppable)
watermark in one corner. I believe Fred made some changes last

week

Post by Darlene Bordwell
after Cindy Voetsch made the problem known to Acclaim

photographers;

Post by Darlene Bordwell
you apparently downloaded one of the new, improved comps.
If you search the archives for this forum at http://
www.stockphoto.net/Archives.php , you can probably find the entire
discussion -- I think the thread title was "Are your images being
stolen?"
Best,
Darlene
www.DarleneBordwell.com

Post by SharonD
Is there something about the comps I'm missing? I requested a comp of
one of my own photos to see what Acclaim provides for the comps and I
received an email of a very small photo with a big watermark

across

Post by Darlene Bordwell

Post by SharonD
it.
What use is that to anyone? Thanks for explaining!

Post by dietmar_scholtz
As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from

acclaim

Post by dietmar_scholtz
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i

personally

Post by dietmar_scholtz
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50%

the

Post by dietmar_scholtz
photographer should have received.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Sean Locke]

Post by SharonD
Is there something about the comps I'm missing? I requested a comp of
one of my own photos to see what Acclaim provides for the comps and I
received an email of a very small photo with a big watermark across it.
What use is that to anyone? Thanks for explaining!

Hi,

I think Fred mentioned he just changed it the other day to be smaller,
with a bigger watermark.

Sean L.

Post by SharonD

Post by dietmar_scholtz
As a fact i can tell you all that those "comp downloads" from acclaim
where in my case used 60% in a business way that should have been
billed (may be it was, i do not know...). The total loss i personally
have in this case are more than 7500.- USD
(seventhousandfivehundret), and we are only talking about the 50% the
photographer should have received.