Copyright Infringement Reports (Review guidelines in post #1 before posting here)

Sort of tossing the baby out with the bath aren't you?:D

Has anyone contacted the WFO and questioned them on this?

I am not saying what this person did was right, but to color
the whole NWS because of this persons bad judgment is not right.

To put the public at risk over this is also a little over the top.
A tornado anywhere is dangerous.

Get the details first, then go after the person or persons that
crossed the line. If they caused you any damage or loss
you should go after them.:eek:

Tim

Really? A tornado anywhere is dangerous? I have trouble believing that with all the reports I've had ignored or scoffed at the past decade. I'm tired of wasting my time when I could be paying attention to my shot, only to hear an uninterested voice half-heartedly taking my report.

When the NWS stops talking **** on chasers maybe we'll change our minds. I can't speak for all chasers, but I've been around and seen enough to now what's what....to have my reports blown off or questioned is unacceptable and a waste of my time. And stealing video...don't even get me started on that.

Maybe you didn't click the links Bill provided, but there is your proof.
 
Wow.....that's pretty shafty there. I know that my local NWS has used alot of my content in these brochures and such but they have always asked permission instead of just snatching material and running with it.

I think the biggest issue that some folks have here is that people think because they are a government entity that they have the right to just get away with it. That's incorrect. Do what needs to be done, Bill!
 
Really? A tornado anywhere is dangerous? I have trouble believing that with all the reports I've had ignored or scoffed at the past decade. I'm tired of wasting my time when I could be paying attention to my shot, only to hear an uninterested voice half-heartedly taking my report.

When the NWS stops talking **** on chasers maybe we'll change our minds. I can't speak for all chasers, but I've been around and seen enough to now what's what....to have my reports blown off or questioned is unacceptable and a waste of my time. And stealing video...don't even get me started on that.

Maybe you didn't click the links Bill provided, but there is your proof.

Maybe you didn't read my post completely, again?:rolleyes:

"Get the details first, then go after the person or persons that
crossed the line. If they caused you any damage or loss
you should go after them
."

Our WFO works well with the chasers in this area, at least most of them
and have a high opinion of them. Again, not all the NWS is the same.

Tim
 
Didn't realize NWS theft was such an issue. Guess about time to phone up the lawyer for the multiple images used by the local branch without permission...and for Skywarn no less. God knows I need to recoup all that money spent over the years using that pricey NWS products and radar, and paying for those large NWS salaries.

At least FEMA paid for the video they used.
 
Sort of tossing the baby out with the bath aren't you?:D

Has anyone contacted the WFO and questioned them on this?

I am not saying what this person did was right, but to color
the whole NWS because of this persons bad judgment is not right.

To put the public at risk over this is also a little over the top.
A tornado anywhere is dangerous.

Get the details first, then go after the person or persons that
crossed the line. If they caused you any damage or loss
you should go after them.:eek:
Tim

Tim,
Obviously you do not make any finacial gain from photography or videography. If you had, certainly you could understand the issues taken with many local NWS offices nation wide. Theft is real and it is a real problem. It does not matter who took it or even why. Just because one is sitting under the umbrella of the US governmnet does not give them the right to steal.

I understand your point in regards to coloring NOAA as a whole however,
this has been an ongoing trend with some local offices with more and more "joining" in this action every day.
I stopped giving any video/pics to ANY NWS office back in 2005 after a local office used some of my pics/video in a manual and presentation that I gave no permission for. Said pictures were of the April 10 event (Russell tornado) and the manual was later publicized. Interestingly enough, in the presentation they "hammered" me and some of my tactics in the field but in the same breath cheered and explained the structure and good view I had. Simply put, they used it as a teaching tool.

I have to agree with Shane totally and if it were me, I would seek legal advice ASAP. Shame on OAX!

One more question for you Tim...what exactly is MidWest SSTRC Inc anyways???
 
The NWS uses these videos to educate folks about severe weather and for spotter training. I've always had no problem freely donating my images to that cause. But I agree, it needs to be done with permission. Perhaps before talking to lawyers, you could confront the users directly and make it clear that in the future that you would suggest the NWS office acquires permission before using images anywhere.

Bill, I visited the Omaha WFO a few weeks after the May 5 2007 event, and they were showing me what I believe was your video that you had donated to them. I didn't know you at the time, but after you volunteered to produce that chapter for the DVD and saw your footage, I remembered it from my WFO visit. If you did donate the video, then perhaps they thought there was no problem using it again and using the So2007 DVD version. Several NWS mets have asked me permission to use excerpts from the DVDs, and I told them "as long as you have permission from the original owner; look for the copyright icons to ID them". The OAX WCM may have been one of the NWS mets I told this too, but I can't recall for sure.

But, if you never donated video to them, then they shouldn't have used it. Let me know what they say about it if you talk to them. I'm also interested to know if anyone else has seen Storms of DVD excerpts showing up elsewhere.
 
I need to recoup all that money spent over the years using that pricey NWS products and radar, and paying for those large NWS salaries.

If you've been paying for access to NWS data - it's gone to a third party provider. Also called a "value added" provider. Companies like WSI don't send any of that to the NWS.

I agree with you - it's not as much a monetary issue as it is an ethical issue though.
 
Tim,
Obviously you do not make any finacial gain from photography or videography. If you had, certainly you could understand the issues taken with many local NWS offices nation wide. Theft is real and it is a real problem. It does not matter who took it or even why. Just because one is sitting under the umbrella of the US governmnet does not give them the right to steal.

I understand your point in regards to coloring NOAA as a whole however,
this has been an ongoing trend with some local offices with more and more "joining" in this action every day.
I stopped giving any video/pics to ANY NWS office back in 2005 after a local office used some of my pics/video in a manual and presentation that I gave no permission for. Said pictures were of the April 10 event (Russell tornado) and the manual was later publicized. Interestingly enough, in the presentation they "hammered" me and some of my tactics in the field but in the same breath cheered and explained the structure and good view I had. Simply put, they used it as a teaching tool.

I have to agree with Shane totally and if it were me, I would seek legal advice ASAP. Shame on OAX!

One more question for you Tim...what exactly is MidWest SSTRC Inc anyways???

As I said, don't paint with such a wide brush but do go after those
that take or use images without your ok. No problem with that.
Our WFO is very careful about the images they use in the spotter
classes and work well with the chaser, so they should not be punished.
But those that knowingly do it should face the law.

MidWest SSTRC Inc. is our spotter group. www.midwestsstrc.org
A 501c3 non-profit Inc.
MidWest Severe Storm Tracking Response Center.

Tim
 
Not sure who manages Eric Nguyen's photo rights, but I got a pop of this joint NWS/Denver Weather Examiner page on my facebook account:

Severe Weather 101
http://www.examiner.com/x-219-Denve...Severe-Weather-101--Watches-Warnings-and-More

There is also a link at the bottom to a video the writer "found" on youtbue, but that has since been removed on the youtube side.

Update: I didn't realize there are multiple pages to the article. Found another of Eric's photos, a bunch of photos with no copyrights, and several tvn.net videos. Hope they have permission to use all of that.

James
 
This isn't a NWS page, it's not a "newspaper" page either. The "Examiner" is just a collection of volunteer bloggers.
 
Ahh, ok, thanks for clarifying. The Facebook note said:

"The NWS partners with the Denver Weather Examiner to highlight Severe Weather Awareness Week in Colorado. To see great video and helpful tips..."

Seemed like a semi official kind of thing.

James
 
Ha - nice... I posted something a few weeks ago on ML when my Google news homepage had a top story on a Florida tornado that last 2-3 hours and had winds at least 60mph... Ends up being another one of these "Joe Public Is A News Reporter" websites.
 
I am DONE giving video and stills to the NWS for training and this is a HUGE black eye for the SO XXXX production.

http://mnwxchaser.com/copyright_infringements/bsmith_copyrightinfringement4.jpg

I am not sure how this is a a black eye for the SO XXXX project. No one that has been a part of the project, verbally or in writing, authorized the use of the footage from the DVD for any other purpose but advertising. This was a unauthorized use of the footage period.

Mickey Ptak
 
I am not sure how this is a a black eye for the SO XXXX project. No one that has been a part of the project, verbally or in writing, authorized the use of the footage from the DVD for any other purpose but advertising. This was a unauthorized use of the footage period.

Mickey Ptak


My bad...wrong choice of words. Maybe "skepticism towards future contributions" would have been better. Regardless, you handled the issue in a timely, professional manner as always Mickey. Thanks for quickly getting to the bottom of it and snuffing out the fire before it could spread.
 
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