Just thought I'd share a little bit - I had 8 ebay auctions taken down last night from 4 sellers who were using my photography without permission.
One of the auction owners contacted claimed they got the images "from a hybridizer" and didn't know they were stolen. Sorry, that doesn't cut it. You have a legal obligation to research every bit of intellectual property you use in your business and you should be prepared for the consequences if you don't have the appropriate rights. And yes, I was very rude to this person when I informed them that I would continue to have eBay take auctions down with my photos on them. I'm a nice guy until you start stealing my work. I don't cut you slack when you fail to do your legally-required due diligence during the course of operating your business.
eBay auctions are the only place I consistently have my photos stolen. My opinion of the entire marketplace is rather low, especially after spending 2 hours last night going through THOUSANDS of auctions and seeing the same 20 photos used across the board, everywhere.
So let this be an education and wake-up call to those selling orchids on eBay - the photographers are watching you.
Thanks a million to one of the loyal readers on my site - Jon, from the midwest, for alerting me to this last round of illict photo use.
-Eric in SF
(posted to rec.gardens.orchids, alt.binaries.pictures.orchids, Orchid Guide Digest Mailing List, The American Orchid Society Forum)