fujitsupc.com is using my photograph! =)

Sorry if this is a bit off-topic, but i figured some of you out there might find it interesting....

I was looking at stuff over at portableone.com (like i do a few times a week to see how else i can do some unnecessary spending [ ]). Even though i'm not looking for a tablet PC, i somehow clicked on the fujitsu ST5000. went to the fujitsu image gallery and saw the following:



(http://www.computers.us.fujitsu.com/images/pentablets/st5021_photogal/front.jpg)

the pic looked AWFULLY familiar to me, so i went to my photo album from my vacation in singapore in Jan. 2004. here's my original, along with a 2nd pic i took of the same group of flowers from a different angle. The original picture is actually the image i used on my desktop when i posted pics for my N5010 and N6010 units:





How COOL is that? there's NO doubt it's the same picture. and after going through most of fujitsu's galleries, i'm pretty sure the ST5000 is the only gallery that has an actual photograph being used on the desktop! More than a few people asked about the picture, but i never thought FUJITSU would end up grabbing it, let alone using it on their website!

I had no idea about any of this, so it was definitely a nice surprise to stumble upon this at work [8D]

 

Hey qwester, thanks for the advice [ ]

unfortunately, the pic's public domain. Back in may, when i posted a review (with pics) on my N5010 over on notebookforums.com, a few people asked where i got the picture i was using for my desktop. I gave them a link to the original, hi-res file. (yes, i'm an idiot like that). So i guess that it became public domain as soon as i posted the link voluntarily.

what would really make me mad, though, is if someone grabbed my original and ended up selling it to fujitsu for $. That would just be wrong.

whoah...never noticed you're from philly!

 

That's a nice praise of your photographic skills. But how did they get their hands on it.
You should be paid for it [ ], do it the american way and sue them for a few million $ and retire [ ] ... I am asking for a percentage of your gain because i gave you the idea [ ]

 

just noticed we live in the same area [ ]

 

that's a really beautiful picture Michael, you definitely deserve compensation if a company is using it in their marketing material, but I think you're right about the fact there is little leverage you'd have for actualling having a claim to money...and I really hope somebody did not rip it off and resell it. It'd be interesting to find a trail of how it got to Fujitsu.

BargainPDA.com | SpotStop.com | TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

actually, you have a valid lawsuit (just finished law school). you should talk to an IP lawyer. they should be able to give you a good idea of whether it's worth it to pursue.

good luck

 

Michael,
Glad to see you posting here. Your review helped me to buy my N5010 And the picture you so kindly provided is now my background too. It really is beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
Noah

 

Hey Noah,

thanks for the note! really glad my review on the N5010 helped you make your decision. it really is a wonderful unit, isn't it? i just LOVED the SXGA+ resolution.

Thanks, everyone for all of your helpful comments.

I actually emailed fujitsu's general support telling them i was the original photographer and asking if there was any way to find out where they got the picture from. i got a response asking for the following info to "escalate" the issue to the cust. svc. dept. While i have no problem whatsoever with supplying this info, i can't help but wonder why it's necessary given this particular issue.

___________

I understand you are concerned about one of the images used on our
website.

We require more information from you, as this is an issue that will need
to be escalated to our customer service department.

Please fill out the form below and reply back to this email.


Title Dr, Mr., Ms, Mrs., etc):

Name of Registered Owner/ Or Contact Person for Company (Computer cannot
be registered in company name only):

Address: (Physical Address is required as we ship all parts Federal
Express):

City:

County:

State/Province:

Country of Residence:

Zip Code/Postal Code:

E-mail Address:

Phone Number:

Fax Number:

Business or personal use:

Company Name:

Part No: Located on the LIFEBOOK label of the unit.
Example: Eight characters ? The first two digits are letters followed
by 6 numbers (CPXXXXXX).

Reg. No: Located on the LIFEBOOK Label on the bottom of the unit.
Example: Six characters ? The first digit is a letter followed by 4
numbers (BXXXX, SXXXX, CXXXX).

Configuration No. or Configuration P/N:
· Configuration No. ? 9 digits starting with FPCXXXXXX.
· Configuration P/N ? 16 digits on white Configuration label example
(ASV0F1088E512000)

 

I think some compensation is in order , since they use it for comercial purpouse .

As a fujitsu owner they should be nice about it and offer you some hardware/discount benefit at least ( its pennies to them ) and it will make both sides happy not to mention won't hurt their rep here .

option 2 : ask for a free laptop for you and anyone in this thread and see how it goes ..

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by gilo
option 2 : ask for a free laptop for you and anyone in this thread and see how it goes ..
<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>

Well, if its anyone in this thread, then I better leave a comment. hah. j/k

But yeah, that's one sweet background you've got going man. All I want is my photography skills to be half of yours... but yeah. Nice pic!

===================================
Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. [Mark 12:30]

 

Public domain or not, they are using work you did without your authorization. I would definitely consider legal action. At the very minimum, I would force Fujitsu to reveal how they obtained your photo and then decide what course of action to take, if any.

 

But he posted the image expressly FOR people to download and use as a wall paper- not strings attached. Very kind of him, I might add (again[ ]). Maybe drumfu could inform us why there is a valid lawsuit? I am an engineer, so legalities often escape me due to what seems to be a "different logic".

All in all, I hope fujitsu appreciates the photo and does something appropriately good for Michael.

 

Yeah, but that's for personal use, not for re-publication, especially for commercial purposes. Using it on a web site is the same as using it on a billboard in Times Square, for a catalog or magazine or at a tradeshow.

 

Yes Exactly,

I think what will happen is Fujitsu may just send you a PDA in the ADD or give you a descount on some expensive hardware.

Cause as for advertising, you would or should have gotten anywhere from 500-2000 bucks for that piece of photography.

Make a claim.. and see what they stand too.

Fujitsu: N6010: P4 3.2Ghz, 1 Gig Ram, 100 GB HD, ATI Radeon 9700 Mobile, TV Tuner, 8x DVD Burner, 17" WXGA+ (1440x900)

 

cool I triggered all of that ... WoW [8D]
I was just BSing around. I know nothing of how legal stuff work in this country! All I know is that every night when I listen to the news someone seems to be suing a company! [ ]
But the incident reminded me of the school teacher in california that sued, I think Nestle, for using a picture of him on one of their products without letting him know. Even though the pic was taken by an agency years earlier and the guy was paid for it at that time! And well he won a few millions [ ]
You gotta love this country, I just hope one of those loaded companies screws with me so I can retire when I am still in my 20s [8D]