Super strange email-scam or?????

[horsechick]

I got this email today and thought it was so strange. Anyone else get something like this??? Do I answer or ignore? So weird…

Dearest personnel atCornerstone Equestrian,

I am kindly asking your permission to copy some pictures of your absolutely stunning warmblood stallion ‘Amazing’.

My name is [edit], I’m 22 years old and from Finland. My hobby you might have hear of,*
you could call it sim game playing with horse characters. Everything happens online, playing this*
computer game together with fellow Finnish horse game players. The pictures are used simply to*
give thesefictional horses a bit of character, to give them a look.

I see it my responsibility, that none of your material would be copied further from my webpage.*
Neither would I give your pictures further to anyone else. Please inform me what you would like me*
to write in the copyrights of the pictures, the text/link will be placed next to the picture.*
I d want to point out, that in Finland we are very much aware of the copyright laws.

My sim game stable’s webpage adress is:http://www.raitatossu.net/solo/

Thank you for your time, I’m looking forward to hearing from you.*

Kindest regards,*
[edit]

[Laurierace]

I don’t think it is a scam. Sim games are big all over the world. Most of the time they just use the pics without asking permission so give her props for that.

[Kwill]

Cheaper than Breyers, I guess! Seems nice she asked.

Her webpage doesn’t work, however.

[horsechick]

ok, I was VERY afraid to click on anything from an email, so maybe I’ll just type in the address and see what pops up

[Laurierace]

Her link worked for me. It is a very realistic looking sim game.

[big_red_ottb]

Looks pretty legitimate to me. Good on her for asking permission.

[horsechick]

thanks! I will email her back

[ahf]

Yes! Good on her for asking! I’ve gotten several requests like that from Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

[Home_Again_Farm]

Sim games must be incredibly popular in Finland. I get similar requests often and 90% are from Finland and are also very politely worded.

[Cartier]

I don’t know anything about SIM games, and did not look at the girl’s website, but a general concern you might consider is that third parties could copy your photos of your stallion from her, as though they were her photos to begin with, which could lead to problems for you down the road. There is no government agency that protects copyright, it is up to each individual to protect their own copyrighted work. Having your photos out in the world, disconnected from your direct control, may or may not be a good thing for the marketing of your stallion. … just something you might want to consider.
You may have a generous impulse to do something nice for this young girl, and find out later that it has backfired on you. What’s the old saying, “NO good deed goes unpunished.”
Many websites (including the ones we build) are right click protected, so the issue of taking photos without permission is moot.

[TrueColours]

99% of all SIM game requests do come from Finland for some strange reason

What I find the most irritating is that someone will email me and say “I didnt know you had your stallion up for sale! And why is his price $2500.00?!”

Some SIM games “sell” their horses and sure as shooting, someone will recognize your horse, assume its you selling it and wonder at the low price

Or … “Fluffy” in the SIM game who happens to be your stallion, will be sold because of unrideability issues and its “out there” that “Fluffy” (using your picture of your stallion) is unrideable and has “issues”

Not worth it to be nice IMO …

[Cartier]

[QUOTE=TrueColours;6493179]
99% of all SIM game requests do come from Finland for some strange reason

What I find the most irritating is that someone will email me and say “I didnt know you had your stallion up for sale! And why is his price $2500.00?!”

Some SIM games “sell” their horses and sure as shooting, someone will recognize your horse, assume its you selling it and wonder at the low price

Or … “Fluffy” in the SIM game who happens to be your stallion, will be sold because of unrideability issues and its “out there” that “Fluffy” (using your picture of your stallion) is unrideable and has “issues”

Not worth it to be nice IMO …[/QUOTE]

Well, there you have it, a whole host of reasons to say, “No.”:winkgrin:

[Cindy_s_Warmbloods]

Well the same girl sent me a similar e-mail today. I did give her permission to use photos of the one mare she asked to use pics of. I took the pictures so no copyright issues and lots of these girls seem to really enjoy the game. I just ask for a link back to my website somewhere on their website in exchange.

[foxhavenfarm]

We get these all the time and always politely decline.

[Ambitious_Kate]

Yes, and then there were the kids playing sim games who would create fifty babies for a friend’s stallion and enter them into his name in the allbreed pedigree database. The horrified owner would delete them and the kid would re-enter them the next day. Change the name of existing ancestors in the pedigree database. Since these legitimate breeders were using the database for their horses and lineages, it was quite a problem. Alot of care went into trying to get the data accurate, etc. Anyway, another reason to say no.

[EquusMagnificus]

I would actually appreciate the request to use the pictures! It is much better than just stealing! I’d say yes, provided she gives a link back, and add a watermark to the pictures you are allowing her to use. Might as well just add a watermark with the link to your website in all your pictures.

[Halt_Near_X]

[QUOTE=Cartier;6493127]
Many websites (including the ones we build) are right click protected, so the issue of taking photos without permission is moot.[/QUOTE]

Just FYI, but I could get any photo I wanted off your site in less than thirty seconds, using at least two different methods. Right click disabling doesn’t really protect anything or prevent someone from taking the photos if they want them.

At least the SIM people who ask permission are also the ones who are likely to respect a “No” answer.

[Cartier]

[QUOTE=HappyVagrant;6496356]
Just FYI, but I could get any photo I wanted off your site in less than thirty seconds, using at least two different methods. Right click disabling doesn’t really protect anything or prevent someone from taking the photos if they want them.

[/QUOTE]I suppose if one is determined enough, they can do just about anything. One of our business partners is an attorney, who practices in PA, NJ, VA, MD, NY and FL… if we found someone using our photos, we might be motivated to sue. But that is speculating, so far it has never been an issue. I really don’t think we have photos worth stealing. :lol: But heck, what do I know?

But I do not buy the “they are honest because they asked” perspective. By asking, people are merely expressing a very minimal level of common courtesy, which should be the norm, not the exception. I think we’ve lowered our standards to the gutter in this society, and the prevailing feeling is, “If I can get away with it; do it.”

But you make me curious. Here is a link to a website of a very dear friend, who passed away about a year ago. http://www.wildflowercavaliers.com I was in the process of making the site when Janet fell ill and passed away. The site was never completed, and will never be completed. I keep it simply in memory of Janet. Supposedly it is right click protected. You say you are able to easily copy a photo from this site. Do it and post it (or email me and I will post it) and then I will show your handy work to the fine folks at Word Press, or Photocrati, and they can fix it. :yes:

I should add that far as I know, photos on FB are not right click protected… which surprises me a bit.

[Cindy_s_Warmbloods]

Sent you an email with a picture off that website Cartier and how it is easily done…

[Cartier]

[QUOTE=Cindy’s Warmbloods;6496496]
Sent you an email with a picture off that website Cartier and how it is easily done…[/QUOTE]

YES, you certainly did.:yes: (I didn’t check to see the res or pixels, but it looked large enough to do something with). As I said, Janet has passed away and there is no harm one way or the other. Thank you for demonstrating just how useless right click protection can be. Seems it only really keeps honest people honest.

Don’t know what to say, we don’t have a huge issue with this topic one way or the other. But if I were a professional photographer who made my living selling my photos, I’d probably be very discouraged about this sort of thing.

Ever notice that creative productive people are the first who are willing to give/share, and pond scum users who accomplish nothing of value on planet earth are the first who are willing to take. I have never known an artist who did much more than just get by… stealing their work product is a vile thing to do in my opinion.

I will send this on to the folks at Photocrati… and Word Press… maybe they will tweak something…