Iām reaching out today to share something that has left me feeling a bit disheartened, and Iām curious if any of you have experienced something similar.
As a Local Guide, I put a lot of heart into my photos and videos. Recently, I noticed that one of my top contributions, which was serving as the Cover Photo for a major retail location, is no longer credited to me. I originally uploaded it a couple of months back, but when I checked the āBy Ownerā section, I saw the exact same photo. It turns out the business owner re-uploaded it in the same month I posted it.
It looks like they simply downloaded my original shot and re-uploaded it to claim the āOwnerā attribution. Itās a bit of a blow, as itās stripped my original post of its status and all the views it was getting.
Iāve already reported the issue to Google through the official channels, but I think itās important for us to talk about this as a community. How can we better protect our hard work when businesses āadoptā our content so quickly?
Has anyone else dealt with this? Iād love to hear your thoughts or any tips you have for keeping an eye on our high-impact media!
Sorry to hear that @palmad1 . I had a similar problem a few years ago where another user took a screenshot of my star photo, edited out any copyright marks (from Google Maps) and then re-uploaded the photo as theirs. That photo then became the star photo and my photo got stuck in limbo where it stopped receiving any views.
I also flagged that photo and reported it. I canāt remember the full details but I was asked to submit the original photo (which I still had) to prove that my copy is the original (usually they can deduce this by the size of the file and that my copy showed more of the image since no cropping was done). My photo was reinstated but it never became a star photo again.
The copied photo was removed by Maps.
Anyway, unfortunately, I donāt know of any way to properly safe guard our own photos from people who may want to copy it from the internet. Googleās filters should be smart enough to detect a duplicate.. but we know that itās all too easy to accidentally upload a photo multiple times creating duplicates and they never get flagged (or at least, we donāt receive any notifications for it).
Fortunately, this doesnāt happen very often but youāll have to keep an eye out just in case.
Thanks for pointing this out, @palmad1. Iāve had situations where my photos stopped getting high levels of views and then reduced to a few or zero views per month, but my limited investigations never led me to this conclusion. I honestly donāt pay that much attention to my photos again after Iāve posted them, so there may have been times when this happened without me noticing. Prevention would probably be impossible, as the internet is a public, open space where both good and bad actors can play unhindered.
Thank you so much for the support and for sharing your experiences and insights, @AdrianLunsong, @tony_b, and @MortenCopenhagen. Itās definitely a relief to know that Iām not alone in this, even if itās a frustrating challenge for all of us!
@AdrianLunsong, thank you for the detailed steps of your recovery process. Your point about keeping original, unedited files is a vital tip, one that Iāve fortunately started following since becoming active on Connect!
@tony_b, you are absolutely correct about the internet being an open space. Like you, I donāt always have the time to āmonitorā my photos, but seeing how quickly a recent, high-quality contribution can be stolen was a real wake-up call.
@MortenCopenhagen, I just finished reading your post. Thank you for putting so much effort into that guide! I didnāt realize a guide like this already existed, but I had followed those exact same steps for reporting, and it was certainly a lengthy process. Your tip about comparing the zoom resolution to prove a screenshot was taken is a brilliant one and something I never would have thought of.
I really appreciate you all taking the time to share your wisdom. Itās exactly this kind of community support that makes being a Local Guide so rewarding, even when we hit with these disheartening situations!
Iām sorry about your issue, @palmad1 .
I wrote a post about this specific subject (you can find it linked here below on my signature) because it is a big issue, but in many countries itās also a violation of the law.
A friend of mine is transforming this bad behaviour in a source of money . In Italy the violation of copyright can be sanctioned up to 3000ā¬ (each photo) so heās contacting very politely the people who uses his photos asking to be paid.
Seriously, itās sad to see businesses doing that
Thank you for your insights, @ErmesT! Itās incredibly helpful to hear the legal perspective on this. Your friendās approach is a great example of standing up for a creatorās hard work; itās definitely a wake-up call for those who take shortcuts.
I also wanted to share some good news: Google reviewed my case and has already removed the stolen photo from the POI! Itās a relief to see the system work.
Iāll still be diving into the post in your signature to stay prepared for the future. Support from moderators like you makes navigating these situations much easier. Thank you again!
Thank you so much for the kind wishes, @Annaelisa! It was definitely a frustrating experience, but a great learning curve.
Iām happy to share that Google reviewed my case and has already removed the stolen photo! It is such a relief to see the system support the creatorās work.
Iām glad my post could bring some awareness to this.
Apologies for the delayed update, but I have some great news to share!
I want to thank you all for the support and encouragement while I was dealing with this.
Iām incredibly impressed that Google took action within just 12 hours of my report!
The stolen photo has been removed, and my original shot is back as the cover photo. It has already gained 217 views in a single day, which is so rewarding to see. Itās a huge relief to know the system works so quickly to protect our original content.
Thank you all again for being such a supportive community!
. In Italy the violation of copyright can be sanctioned up to 3000ā¬ (each photo) so heās contacting very politely the people who uses his photos asking to be paid.
Itās a relief to see the system work. 
