How did my bike become the Brooks site front page?
 

http://www.brookssaddles.com/brooksengland.html

That's me! Someone in Philly sent me a heads up that I was (kind of) famous.

show off! Kidding, that is sweet! Nice bike.

But no credit! Sue them for all their worth :p .

Just kidding, that's cool. How did your bike wind up on the homepage?

East Hill

While its cool, its also a breach of copyright if they used it without your permission - or that of the person who holds the rights to the photo.

I'd ask for compensation - maybe a free saddle or 2.

+1!

Why, there just using a picture of their saddle, they can't help it if your bike is attached to it?

Of course you could always get Robert Broderick to send them an email though (smiley face thing here).

Damn straight...unless it was a Brooks photog that took the shot. That's a great pic and the shooter deserves a "taken by" credit at a minimum.

A new Ti Swallow would sure be nice though.

Maybe the image is for sale as a stock photo.

So no guesses on the frame? Is it a Raleigh Super Course?

EDIT: Um, ok, it's a Stella! :o

Very nice bike.

Simple, clean, beautiful. :D

Ummmm...Explain that to the stalkers with cameras who hunt down "celebrities" night and day in LA, pleez!

:D:D:D

The copyright is held by whoever took the photo, not the owner of the bike, unless they are the same.

Cool that you've been 'published' though! :)

PS Are your photos hosted by Flickr or another social networking photo host? That may explain how they got your photo, though I have no idea what your rights are in that case.

I like the idea that they grabbed an image of the internet to use as a model. It is a beautiful creation that features their product. My uncle, who made a good living off of product photography, would not be as sanguine. If you wanted to really capitalize, drop it on eBay with a link.

I read in your other thread that they must have snagged it from velospace. I'm guessing that Brooks has some ties with Velospace somehow. Uploading pics to Velospace can make the pics their property to be used as they see fit.

_________

Just took a quick look at the Velospace site. They make no mention (that I have seen) of gaining rights to uploaded pics.

I would take 55/Rad's advice and confront Brooks about the situation. You should receive some sort of compensation and/or recognition.

P.S. 55/rad and I are both photographers so we have at least a bit of knowledge on the topic. Good luck.

Thank you all for the lively and level-headed responses. I own the bike, I built it up from an old Stella frame, and I took the picture. I posted the pictures on Velospace, Fixed Gear Gallery and Myspace. I was never notified by Brooks of their intentions nor was I asked permission. A friend sent me a link when he saw the site with my bike's picture yesterday. To say that I was flattered would be an understatement. That being said, if someone from Brooks contacted me for permission or offered some small sponsorship-type compensation (perhaps a pair of heavy duty saddles for my tandem) that would be fine with me! I sent them an email yesterday, we'll see if I hear back.

Good luck! That photo is really a great composition. Well done.

P.S. If you receive some compensation from Brooks, will you share it with the artist of the mural? ;)

Hullavastella,

What probably happened is that someone, perhaps a friend, submitted your photo to the Brooks photo contest. Once a month a winner is chosen with the only prize being publication of the photo on their website.

On the Brooks homepage select "People and their Stories" and you will see reference to the photo contest. When a person submits a photo they "hereby authorise Brooks to communicate or publish my story and pictures in any way they see fit." :(

If you click to see the contest hall of fame and click through to the last entry you will see your photo again--apparently the February 2008 winner. :beer:

In short, I doubt there is a free saddle or two in your future.:cry:

That is a very nice bike with a great saddle. All it needs now are derailleurs, gears, and drop bars.

I'm a photographer by trade. I'd be flattered if they used my image, but without permission--not so much.
If you took that photo, Brooks owes you money. And you have the upper hand in the negotiations, even if they take it down, Brooks owes you money. A handful of free saddles, and a few jerseys sounds like proper compensation, and still cheeper than an hour of their lawyer's time.

http://www.brooksengland.com/ads/ad_2006.jpg (NSFW)

That may be it. Though the prospect of not getting swag in a bummer, it feels nice to be chosen as a picture contest winner. Yay bikes!

Borrowing the image without permission is something a lot of us do everyday for personal use. While this is technically not legal, its pretty much accepted.

Borrowing and using the image on the front page of a well established commercial entity - for the explicit purpose of promoting and selling - is not considered acceptable. This is a risk that I'm sure the Brooks folks evaluated before they chose to use it. They (most likely) decided that the time and trouble it would take for you to fight this wouldn't be worth it to you....that is, if you ever even became aware of it.

If you fight it too hard, they'll likely just cease and desist and thus take it down and replace it. Which leaves you with nothing. No great photo on the site and the good feeling that comes with it, nor anything else. Plus, the fact that they are a European company certainly clouds things.

I would write them a friendly letter identifying yourself as the owner of the bike and the image. Tell them you are really happy and proud that they chose to use it. But be clear that because they are a commercial entity and used it without gaining permission, you would like some recognition and possibly some compensation. Imply that you will accept some product in exchange to make it easy for them. Anything more than this and they'll just take it down and it will end there...unless you want to spend a ton in legal fees.

Good luck.

55/Rad
Former Copyright Infringer

Personally I would ask to get some free Roll Up Panniers. THose things look pretty cool :)

You still own the rights to that image even if it was submitted by someone else. Having gone through something like this, I now watermark the images I post to the net that I have any love for.

Ok, so who submitted the photo of your bike to the Brooks contest?
thats the real question ( that and when do you get your swallow ltd edition saddle )

marty

But no, really. Tell them to compensate you for your photo or tell them to take it down, i don't care who they are...