Laws of Copyright and Intellectual Property Rights

Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action Response!

Proving Your Case With Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action!

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What you will learn from this Medium story.

• Getting informed of unauthorized image use legal action.
• Unauthorized image use legal action consequences.
• Proving your case with unauthorized image use legal action.
• Unauthorized image use legal action resolved case closed.
• Free affiliate marketing stuff for our Medium subscribers.

Getting informed of unauthorized image use legal action.

Unauthorized image use legal action is real and can have rather expensive consequences. This is what you must know about avoiding unauthorized image use and legal action. We just had a tiny heart attack last week! You may want to read this to the end.

Because you can be held accountable for unauthorized image use and face legal action. Whether you used the image knowingly or completely unaware! Unless you can prove that you have a license, or express permission to use the image. You can face unauthorized image use legal action.

Our blog recently received such a request, to provide proof of having a license. For an image, we used as a blog featured post in September 2020. Yes, unauthorized image use legal action can become very real. No matter the time frame since the image was used.

Luckily, we do all our image and video designs with Canva! Because with Canva you can prove your “license” and permission to use the image. But we will show you how to do that in a bit. Admittedly, we did have to spend a little time finding a design that far back.

This is also why you keep your designs and work saved in Canva; we have just exceeded 5500 designs on Canva. They are all saved in the event of “Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action” to prove our case. But also name your design, so you have search phrases to “work with”. As illustrated below, this is the email we received last week.

You know that cold feeling when your blood freezes, and your soul leaves your body for a moment? Well that describes the feeling when you receive an email with the subject line, “Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action” for the first time!

We are not saying Canva is your only and best option, we are merely proving that Canva images are quite safe to use. Canva was also rather prompt to our support response regarding unauthorized image use legal action.

But thanks to Canva’s navigation simplicity we were able to resolve the unauthorized image use legal action matter without having to correspond further. It was quite a relief as the frost dissipated and our souls returned to our bodies! We experienced quite the “learning curve” with unauthorized image use legal action.

Unauthorized image use legal action consequences.

Next up, you will see why we experienced that chill with unauthorized image use legal action. Considering the Euro, South African Rand (ZAR) exchange rate. In this particular case, unless we could prove having a license.

We were looking at “compensation” costs of around 10,000 (ZAR — South African Rand) and that is quite a lot of money. In South Africa, this is more than the average person earns per month! We cannot place enough exclamation on the fact that you must be really careful when using images.

Illustrated below is how the email concludes with the legal request as also illustrated with the previous screenshot. We are not mentioning names and case numbers, for obvious reasons. Because we want to help you both avoid or prove your case without making anyone “look bad”.

Always bear in mind that an email such as this with regards to unauthorized image use legal action is not defeat. You need to perceive it as a request, not a “guilty verdict”. You are merely informed of possible unauthorized image use legal action and given the opportunity to “proof your case”.

Through experience, we know that there are certain images that might most likely result in unauthorized image use and legal action. You cannot just use any image from Google for instance. Unless you contact the owner, and either get a license or express permission to use the image.

• Images Directly From Google.
• Some Royalty Free Image Sites.
• Images From Websites And Blogs.

In light of “not mentioning names”, just be cautious when using images from some “royalty-free” image sites. “Mentioning” the owner of the image in image captions and provenance does not mean you “have a license” to use the image. Please don’t confuse the two.

We have read and heard of several writers being held accountable for unauthorized image use legal action. But this was also a “learning curve” for us to be extra careful when designing and using images. It is our first time (in around 13 years) having to prove our case with unauthorized image use legal action.

Proving your case with unauthorized image use legal action.

By using Canva we were able to prove our case and provide proof (license) that we had “permission” to use the image. With regards to unauthorized image use legal action luckily we were well within the legal boundaries. This forms a rather important part of your online career.

You may even experience some competitors resorting to an attempt to discredit you. Yes, we have had that too. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who will do anything, just because they cannot outwrite you. But it only proves that you are a worthy opponent.

Making your competitors “nervous” can even result in unauthorized image use allegations in an attempt to legal action. They’re just trying to “get you out the way”, don’t give them the satisfaction! Just take a deep breath and remain professional.

In the event you’re using Canva, proving your case is rather simple and requires but a few simple steps. As illustrated below, go to your Canva dashboard and search for the image in question when faced with an unauthorized image use legal action.

Open the image and hover your cursor over the little “info” icon as pointed out below. Being a pro member of Canva you should see the notification “Canva Pro subscribers get this image for free”. Free members have limited access but the same benefits. Then just take a screenshot of that.

Although we didn’t have a “license” as such (meaning we paid for a license outside Canva) with this particular image. We did get it from Canva, and the screenshot was proof enough for the inquiry. We are all just human, and we all make mistakes.

In this case, the owner was merely requesting proof through their legal representatives. The owner did not “accuse” us of unauthorized image use and insisted on legal action. But it did have a profound effect and served as a reminder that unauthorized image use legal action is real.

Unauthorized image use legal action resolved case closed.

The image owner’s legal representatives responded and were satisfied with the screenshot proof as seen above. Proving that we had a “license” and were allowed to use the image through Canva. What a relief, we can tell you that!

Throughout the entire process, the legal representation of the image owner was quite helpful and professional. As can be seen below, thanking us for our cooperation (because this was a request, not an allegation). While confirming that the “screenshot sent” was proof enough of a valid license to use the image.

As mentioned earlier, we are all human. The image owner merely mistakenly thought that the image might have been used without a valid license. And rightly so because there is a lot of content “copying” and illegal content use going around on the internet.

This is exactly why we are not supporters of article “spinning”, in our opinion. If you are not willing to put in the time and effort it takes to be professional. Then don’t, if you do not have permission, or it is not your content then perhaps you are not as “professional”.

Now please don’t confuse “article spinning” with AI content creation. It is not the same, contrary to popular belief. When you use AI content creation tools in the right manner, then it is perfectly safe to use. But AI-generated content must always be accompanied by a disclosure stating that.

The same as the affiliate disclosure when your content contains affiliate links. Making money online and creating content can very well be considered as “legal activity”. You do not necessarily need to pay for “copyright”. If you can prove the content belongs to you and was used without permission.

You are well within your rights to open an inquiry into unauthorized image or content use and obtain legal assistance to enforce action where warranted. Better to stay safe and never copy other people’s work or use their hard work illegally and face unauthorized image or content use legal action. It can cost you quite a lot of money and in some cases perhaps even sink your online career!

But, not only can it result in possible legal action, in our opinion it is also morally wrong. If you claim to be “professional”, then create your own content. We don’t care how many videos you watched about articles spinning and using images. Be careful of unauthorized image or content use legal action.

If you found this Medium story helpful, kindly let us know in the comments. We would love to hear your opinion. Did you know this about unauthorized image use legal action? Have you ever been approached for unauthorized image use legal action?

If you need help with anything, we speak “Medium” rather fluently, so feel free to reach out any time. With that, our “Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action!” story on Medium is concluded. And with that, you now know how to prove your case. In the event of “Unauthorized Image Use Legal Action!”.

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