Non-respect of copyright in Algeria

Last March I had taken pictures of Algiers from its Casbah, I always said to myself to be plagiarized is a bit good for the ego but when it reaches a certain level and that it is the local newspapers Even international newspaper and companies that steals your work. This no longer flatters your ego but affects the heart of your trade also your finance.

Living from photography in the the internet era is not that easy, overprotecting your photography work to avoid any abuse and Non-respect of copyright in Algeria is a dilemma for me. I had the “misfortune” to not affix a big copyright watermark on my pictures to not spoil them. A photo is a photo, it was taken for the beauty of the moment … for me a big text or a big logo has nothing to do on it. This spoils the picture, its harmony and its balance. So I opted for a light copyright on the right corner of my photos not visible at first sight but visible enough to prove that the photo belongs to me.

Getting his photo stolen by the magazine “Le point”

My first photo was robbed by Le Point Africa, an article written by Adlène Meddi journalist appreciated by Algerian readers. I shared a “post” on Facebook to attract attention and make the bad adviertising and to scandalize few people. No ! I had an answer coming straight from the fourth dimension coming from the journalist who told me in his first message; Because apparently being both Algerian, the formulas of politeness and respect are not necessary (Third-world spirit!) This gentleman told me that the magazine “Le point” did not need to steal anybody. The joke is that I had contacted them a few weeks before to offer them to buy my pictures of Algerie, of course no response from them at that time so can you imagine my reaction when I saw that i’ve been plagiarized ! Today the warning notice and payment of my royalties and copyrights are still in progress and I’ve strolled from service to another one. I was entitled to a “We put your name below the picture it Should suffice …”

My job and my passion is photography, not the legal fights Metallica against Napster when they forgot that they were making music, in short today I understand them a little but I do not want to deviate from This artistic path.

Intellectual property in Algeria

Then it was the turn of other Algerian media, like lematindz.net, which illustrated one of these articles with a panoramic picture of Algiers that I made in March 2017. I’ve send warnings noticed them through mails and comments plus a google warning through the DMCA process that will send a warning to the host and with retaliation a google de-indexing (the site will no longer be referenced on google). But this has not changed anything in the case the article is still there with the picture, taunting me reminding me that my beautiful country is a country where we treat ourselves badly and where we don’t respect each other anymore.

Then came the social networks and other web pages that come to serve and other nothing to make Facebook pages of news like chouf-chouf, a Facebook page that denounces abuses in Algeria but that does not fail to commit.

“Algerian music play” on YouTube that promotes Algerian music boasting to write on its site that it violates no copyright and that it only promotes their music. Of course no copyright groups or performers of these songs. So always in the gentle way I notice by writing an e-mail kindly asking the person what my photo does on his page without copyright or other mentions. Then when there is no answer I put a story comment that those who frequent the site or page sees the original link. Then come the stage where I file a complaint with the host for violation of my copyright and my copyrights. There comes a deletion of the content with a warning on the page that the user can not remove.

Of course this triggered the reaction of the person behind this account who wrote me to apologize and ask me to remove the warning from his YouTube page. What I can not do because it no longer depends on me.

The case of Algerie360.com and other Algerian news sites

I had the bad surprise this week to come across articles reprinting one of my photos published to illustrate their articles, French and Arabic sites that say journalistic take photos that do not belong to them sign the articles and claims the profession Of journalists. Telling this job that others exert in danger not so far in our history, let us remember in Algeria the number of journalists murdered or thrown into prison because it was just their job. Today people claiming to profession come to steal your work and on top of that tell you that the picture is on google image. Yes ! They are on google images, that’s normal it’s the internet. You know this stuff or you type in words and that poses you results related to your search, it’s magical. There’s even a picture of my grandmother! In short, what I mean is that under the photo (s) there is a mention “May be subject to a copyright” which means this photo may be subject to a copyright. So its use is not necessarily allowed. But it’s crazy that these pseudo journalists do not read the mention! I have of course right to answers like on the following image where I am told that the photo is on google so here is my fault …

The case of ONAT | Company of the Algerian Tourist Office

So what is good with Google is that you can see if your photo was used by doing a search of the image on google without it being a complex task, a simple right click on the photo concerned, One click “Search an image with Google” and there you have all the sites referenced by Google that uses the photo whose original you want to find.

This is how I fell again on one of my photos of Algiers, this time to promote tourism in Algeria, it’s nice it’s even excellent for my ego. On the other hand for my portfolio not at all. So I contacted ONAT after three weeks and most of all thanks to a series of key words that I pronounced on the phone “Avocado / Justice / penalties / flights”. They made things happen The GCAgency communication box Who manages their site called me giving me a lesson in morals, the guy told me clearly that it was my fault if I had had my picture stolen. Ah ok sorry I did not know I had Written “please use my photos and do not pay me !!!” So I explained to the gentleman that when we find on the floor or elsewhere something that does not belong to us we do not put it in his pocket and above all Not for sale, he asked me for an apology, I replied that the apologies did not pay my bills, and that the damage was already done.I got the removal of the photo in question. But not a Dinar!

Photo of the Bay of Algiers used by GCAgency and ONAT without my consent – Non-respect of copyright in Algeria

CONDOR ELECTRONICS – Campaign Ramadan 2017

One of the best photo flight or the wilder the photo I put the cover of the article is that of Condor Electronics, who took the picture of the Casbah to modify it and put a wish message of Ramadan to the Algerians. Honestly I saw some nonsense but some like that?!? Wow !!! To use a stolen thing to pass a religious message is just the height of the bullshit. Unfortunately it reflects a lot of things that do not go at all in my country, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Sure no response from them by calling them they sent me to walk from one service to another … Hoping that this article changes something.

You will surely tell yourself but why do not you address yourself to the ONDA (National Office of the Rights of Authors)? Hey bah figure that I tried to call them … the number does not work!

When I manage to get my hands on a number that works … Bah nobody answers. For e-mails it’s the same. (Update after the publication of this post somone has posted in the comments the phone number of the Office)

Case of the Algerian moralizer

I finish this article with an e-mail that I received which has aroused in me a double reaction, it made me laugh so much but at the same time it made me want to cry.

A gentleman writes me to ask me permission to use one of my photos for a YouTube video. I told him that if he wanted to do it did not bother me as long as he put a link to the page where he found this picture. It does not bother me that a particular person uses my picture on YouTube a little but good I say it does not hurt and then the gentleman looks nice and very correct he asks me in addition, so I Say yes by setting my conditions.

Ten days later I receive a mail in literary Arabic. That shocked me, then made me laugh, then saddened and I thought! Brothel! Who are they ?!? what I concern myself ? But I still laugh 🙂

I let you read I translate the message just at the bottom of the picture!

Translation of the e-mail

Me :

Hello, yes no problem you can use the photo, however put a link to my site at the bottom of the video. Is not that better?

Take care of yourself

Answer: 

In the name of God my brother Mahdi, on your page on the web some photos of women who expose themselves (at the limit of soliciting) and others without clothes and me who wants to use one of your photos for a religious video. Below the video I would put a link to your site with photos of women between them and without clothes. How do you think people will see us? What do they say about us?

My dear brother Mahdi in the name of God, a precious advice from brother to brother. Avoid pictures of women and photos of this type so that some people do not use it in what the good Lord has forbidden. So that their sins may not be attributed to you on the day of judgment.

I swear to you my friend Mahdi, I only wish you good things and I apologize for the inconvenience and interference in your private affairs. But do not forget I swear and swear again I only want you to love and advise you only good.

God gave you a gift to use there wisely.

So it’s like stealing your photos and on top of that you get put back and you are given moral lessons and that is not enough, you are proselytizing.

I only asked for photography.

Comment share and tell me what you think.

see you soon !

Mahdi

Kherdja.com

Here they have again struck from the height of their mediocrity the administrators of the Facebook page and the site kherdja.com does not hesitate to use again and again the picture of the Casbah yet protected by copyright.