What can I do? (Picture teft)

[Juan Vancouver]

Hey guys!

 

I need some help. This question is for both escorts and clients. Almost a month ago I started receiving emails from clients and friends letting me know that an escort in the Los Angeles area was using one of my pictures.

 

http://www.rentboy.com/location/getrb.asp?rentboy=77689&Location=49

 

I e-mailed him asking politely to remove my picture from his ad, explaining that with using my picture he was only damaging his credibility. He never wrote back, nor took the picture down. I have wrote to him several times and I get no response from him.

 

Today, when I checked his profile again he had made my picture his main picture. I wrote to the Rentboy staff to ask for help, but I have never received any response from them whenever I had had a query in the past.

 

Any ideas of what to do? How have you dealt with this situation before?

 

Thanks for your help.

[+ deej]

Out of curiosity, who did you write to at rentboy? It's disheartening that they're non-responsive. :-(

 

There isn't a lot you can do, but notice the ad definitely says to call instead of write. He says he's never online. Have you called? I'm local to him so I'd be willing to call on your behalf.

 

The VERY BEST thing for you to do, going forward, is to watermark all of your pictures so the watermark cannot be easily removed. Unfortunately, that usually means text across some of the pretty bits, but that's the only way to clearly mark your pictures as YOURS.

[SAdler]

>The VERY BEST thing for you to do, going forward, is to

>watermark all of your pictures so the watermark cannot be

>easily removed. Unfortunately, that usually means text across

>some of the pretty bits, but that's the only way to clearly

>mark your pictures as YOURS.

 

Hey Juan -- yeah I had the same advice. If you look at my watermarks you can see that I've found a way to Watermark without deterring from the pretty bits.

 

Feel free to send me NEW pictures that this guy doesnt have so there's no question about who is who.

[+ ArVaGuy]

Juan,

 

I would say that you need to call the guy out every time he uses your pics on his site or in his ads. That means posting notices on this and other boards that the guy is using your pics.

 

In a couple of instances, I have noted stolen pics of a particular escort that I have hired a few times on Rentboy. I have let that escort know that his pics are being used by someone else.

 

Recently, I took it one step further and contacted the offending escort who stole the pics. When he replied I called him out on the stolen pics and told him he needed to come clean about it. Later he removed the stolen pics from his web site. I am not implying that the guy changed the pics due to my effort but it may have helped.

 

There are guys who are always going to steal pics and there's not much you can do about. You could be flattered that of all the pics on the internet, he chose to steal yours but that rings a little hollow I guess.

[Rick Munroe]

Juan, that's terrible that they would ignore the problem when you are paid advertiser. To whom did you write at rentboy? I've found them to be quite responsive and professional...perhaps you could try calling Tom Weise directly?

 

By the way, I just checked out your ad text and I have one question. If you, a Latino man, call it your "schlong," then does that mean that I, a Jewboy, have to call mine my "pinga"?

[IceFireWizard]

>Any ideas of what to do? How have you dealt with this

>situation before?

 

Juan,

The folks from Rentboy will help you out. They may be slow in responding (in my opinion). Write to Tom Weise at tomweise@brave.net and include a link to the impersonator's ad as well your own rentboy ad. Try to be brief and straight to the point.

 

IFW

[Juan Vancouver]

Two heads... or was it head twice?

 

Thank you very much for your help and your private mails. I really appreciate it. I guess that's why men to men sex is great: two heads "think" better than one... and a few good ones put together is just amazing!

 

I am following several of your suggestions. And I am truly fighting the idea of the watermark; I kind of prefer images clean and speaking by themselves, but I think that it is a no brainer. Watermarks it will be. (Anyway I am overdue for new pictures, I have been travelling a lot and keep putting that off.)

 

Just to clarify a little further, I just sent an e-mail to Rentboy about this issue today. When I mentioned about them never -ever- having responded to my mails, I was refering to past mails about other issues.

 

Thanks again, I have to go to the gym to perk things a little for the new pics.

[Juan Vancouver]

It's all about the schmuck...

 

Oy vei!

 

We all know that when it comes to english I am a total klutz, devoid of all saychel. (Even worse if I am thinking about the schvontz.)

 

I guess I should stick to the right adjetives to describe my potz. I have lots of nachas in my schtikel, (Didn't I say it was a schlong?) Damn! Here I am again; a tzadreit, a perfect schlamiel.

 

I guess it is kind of odd but I love the way the word rolls in the tongue... It is almost as if while saying Schlong your tongue is playing with some imaginary foreskin... (No, really. Try it right now.)

 

I guess this is one of the side-effects of being a Canadian. Intercultural references sooner or later creep into your brain and you end up sounding like a total meshugene. Besides I do love the sound of yiddish. I guess I will still borrow the word.

 

Todah rabah, Rick!

[Guest zipperzone]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

Frankly..... I don't see why you care. It isn't doing you any direct damage. The only one it will hurt is himself because when he and the client meet, he will have some explaining to do and run the risk of the client backing out of the deal.

 

Remember - Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

[SAdler]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

>Oy vei!

>....etc.

 

I do believe that I am LITERALLY ROFL at the moment. I have never seen such a grasp of yiddish in my life for a man with a foreskin.

 

I'm so feklempt with pride I can't speak ... wait ... I'll give you a topic ... the holy roman empire was neither "holy" nor "roman" nor an "empire," discuss amongst yourselves....

 

OK ... I'm betta' now.

 

Meanwhile in response to Anton's response, don't let the prospect of webmasters airbrushing a watermark out deter you. I've found it near impossible (and I've tried) to noticeably airbrush my watermarks out.

 

But in any case, still wishing you the best of luck to a large salami with some hefty matzoh balls

[Rick Munroe]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

Wow, I'm impressed, Juan. Just about the only Jewish words I know are: matzoh, bagel and Rhoda Morgenstern. Out of all the words you used (klutz, saychel, schvontz, potz, nachas, schtikel, tzadreit, schlamiel, meshugene, Todah rabah), I only knew klutz, meshugeneh and schlemiel (and that last one, I only know from the opening credits of Laverne & Shirley).

 

>It is almost as if while saying Schlong your

>tongue is playing with some imaginary foreskin... (No, really.

>Try it right now.)

 

I just tried it and I felt like I was ordering a sandwich at the deli. :+

[+ ArVaGuy]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

Rick, looks like you could use some help.

 

http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/

 

http://www.koshernosh.com/dictiona.htm

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yiddish_language

[+ deej]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

>>It is almost as if while saying Schlong your

>>tongue is playing with some imaginary foreskin... (No,

>really.

>>Try it right now.)

>

>I just tried it and I felt like I was ordering a sandwich at

>the deli. :+

 

It's always about oral gratification with you. :+

[Juan Vancouver]

All about the schvonz...

 

Hey gorgeous,

 

I actually dedicated that post to you and Rick. I know that I am the epytome of un-kosher, but I still find Jewish culture and Yiddish absolutely fascinating.

 

Glad that you enjoyed it.

 

A tight hug,

[Rick Munroe]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

>Rick, looks like you could use some help.

 

Well, I have always relied on the kindness of internet-savvy strangers.

[Rick Munroe]

RE: It's all about the schmuck...

 

>It's always about oral gratification with you.

 

I was thinking of a witty comeback but...when you're right, you're right. :9