DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

A Sheer Coincidence Spurs An Incredible Case Of Copyright Infringement On Facebook

Feb 4, 2015 by Tiffany Mueller 6 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

scurr In 2006, Sarah Scurr was a still a student, studying abroad while working on a languages degree in Santiago. While on a visit to the nearby San Rafael Glacier, Scurr took the image you see above from the tour boat. Scurr had tucked the photo away until she moved to the UK several years later. Pleased with how her glacier photo came out, she entered into a contest hosted by The Telegraph. The photo made it into the final rounds and was considered by to be one of the top contenders. Scurr was pleased with the success of her image, but didn’t put much more thought into it as she carried about her life.

Flash forward to January 2015 and Scurr’s glacier photo makes a surprise reappearance in her life in the way of a copyright infringement claim. Chilean reporter, Marisol Ortiz Elfeldt, posted on the Telegraph’s Facebook wall,  informing them, she was the person who took the glacier photo, not Ms. Scurr. Elfeldt added her copy of the photograph on the Facebook post in an effort to prove she was the copyright holder. Before long, Scurr started receiving harsh insults and was being accused of theft by individuals on Facebook that she had never even met.

marisol

Elfeldt’s post on The Telegraph’s Facebook page with a copy of her photograph.

The Telegraph contacted Scurr asking about the allegations. Scurr and Elfeldt, both, provided the publication with original, unedited copies of the photo they both claimed to take. The Telegraph looked at the EXIF data from each of the women’s original photos and determined they were taken on the very same day. They also noticed a very slight difference in perspective. A difference they determined to be caused by a moving boat. As it would turn out, the two women had been on the same tour boat, on the same day, and snapped nearly identical photos of the iceberg.

“As incredible as it may seem, it looks like Sarah and I shared the same boat while visiting the glaciers in 2006. Once I saw the picture, which looks exactly like mine, I really thought it was the one I took that day – but it seems that she actually was there, right next to me, clicking almost at the same time.” Elfeldt told the Telegraph.

Scurr graciously responded to the findings, saying “It’s a bizarre coincidence and I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often. You’ve got hundreds of people staring at landmarks or landscapes, all taking the same picture on their smartphone or camera. Hopefully, should anyone else find themselves in the same position, they will think twice before making public accusations. I’m delighted they’ve been proven to be false – I’m not a plagiarist.” [ via The Telegraph ]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram remove Trump’s video over alleged copyright infringement Caesars Palace Bankruptcy Puts $5M Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Rod Stewart On Hold Former Prince photographer sues singer’s estate for copyright infringement Competitive swimmer in breast stroke glide from underwaterBest Practices To Protect Your Photography Copyright and Pursue Infringement

Filed Under: news Tagged With: chile, copyright, copyright infringement, san Rafael glacier, travel photography, uk

Tiffany Mueller: from diyphotography.net

About Tiffany Mueller

Tiffany Mueller is a photographer based in Hawi, Hawaii. You can follow her Twitter here and her personal life here.

« 5 Photographers Chat ‘Working For Free’
Photos Found On GoPro Indicate Pilot Taking Selfies Is To Blame For Fatal Plane Crash »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy