Being cheeky counts for a lot these days, it would seem, whilst copyright counts for precious little unless you're a large organisation with the financial clout to protect your interests. I'm well aware that making my copyright images available online for the benefit of fellow enthusiasts carries an inherent risk - a certain percentage will inevitably appear on other websites with some parasite claiming them to be all his own work.
More suprising, however, is the rapidly increasing number of established companies or multi-nationals who'll rip-off copyright images without so much as a by your leave. I've lost count of the times I've seen my photos staring back at me, especially in adverts where they're being used to make money for somebody else. There's one of mine in a well-known model railway retailer's long-running advert this month, in fact.
But the very latest copyright infringement is causing much mirth amongst acquaintances of mine, as the steam-centric product line is about as far removed from anything I'd wish to be associated with as you could possibly get. Hornby didn't ask for permission to use my copyright image, yet alone receive it, and my copyright notice has rather cheekily been removed from the photograph. You'd expect more ethical behaviour from a Public Limited Company, but I guess there's no such thing as bad publicity.
I'd like to apologise to fans of the prototype for the poor quality of the image - it was one of my earliest scans. Perhaps if it'd been bigger with fewer jpeg artefacts then Hornby would have realised that the bodyside should have a gentle curve to it. That the cab side windows should be quite deeply recessed. That the roof should curve down further. That there shouldn't be such a large amount of body-side above the grilles. That the grilles shouldn't be deeply recessed into the sides. That...
Currently On My Stereo: David Bowie - Hunky Dory