Gawker Media: Consumerist´s Editor Ben Popken Admits Publicly to Steal Photos From Flickr´s Photographers

Nick Denton´s Gawker Media blog network is generating a lot of traffic and money with the Consumerist blog which started in December 2005 and runs under the motto: "Capitalism is broken. We'll help you fix it".

Down to earth, Nick Denton said it´s "a shopping site". Consumerist´s editor Ben Popken explains in his brilliant post "Look At Our Flickr Faves" how this works in reality: "People are always complimenting us on our photos. The quality of the photo work shown on The Consumerist mainly stems from our preternatural ability to steal images from Flickr. Over the past few months, we´ve amassed a sizable library of favorites".

Popken then babbles that "transformative use means fair use" of images.

 

Gawker Media´s legal section says "we license images from photographic archive vendors".

Regarding Flickr´s images, it reads: "Credit is more trouble than its worth".

 

A photographer and graphic designer responded:

"Something that I also find it troubling is that first line at the top of the page here: "People are always complimenting us on our photos." Your photos ???

No, someone else´s photos. If it wasn´t for those other people taking "your" photos, you wouldn't have the reputation for having such great photos on your site, would you?

I think I´ll copy and paste some portions of the articles here on the consumerist and post them as opening blurbs on my blog ... I mean, fair is fair, right?"

 

The Consumerist. Capitalism is broken. We'll help you fix it. We betray you. We steal your content. We make money with the stolen content. We won´t pay you a dime. We don´t even link back to losers like you. Thanks on behalf of Gawker Media. Welcome to our version of Web 2.0. Works perfect.

 

Or, as mastermind and editor Ben Popken has put it so eloquently:

If people want credit, they can ask for it ... Otherwise, we'll just go back to using the best photos we can find in order to illustrate our posts.

If you guys want a bunch of ugly ass retarded stock photos all the time, you´re in the fucking wrong place."

 

Related:

• Consumerist.com Using Flickr images without attribution? (Feb. 14, 2007)
• Gawker Media's Site Traffic Up By 130% (Jan. 23, 2007)
• Traffic stats for Consumerist. Nick Denton explains: "Oh, come on, Consumerist was our fastest growing site in percentage terms!"
• Gossip Gangsta Blogger Perez Hilton Vs. Celebrity Photo Agency X17: IP Attorney Notes "Impossible To Tell Who Would Prevail" (Dec. 18, 2006)
• Celebrity Photo Agency X17 Sues Celebrity Blogger Perez Hilton, Claims $7.5 Million In Damages, WENN, INF, Splash News, Ramey, Bauer Griffin, Most Wanted, Flynet Follow (Dec. 01, 2007)
• Perez Hilton Sued for Copyright Infringment (Amercian Photo, Dec. 01, 2006): "Can copyright be protected in the blogosphere? I think the genie is already out of the bottle".
• Some Just Don´t Get It: Paris Hilton, Perez Hilton, Who Cares? (Nov. 16, 2006)
• Blogs, Photo and Copyright: The debate continues
  [Copyright => Garbage?] (June 13, 2004)
• Blogs, Photo and Copyright:
  "Hey, I drove that Porsche Boxster for two days, but frankly, I didn´t want to use it, I just wanted to make advertisement for Porsche!" (June 06, 2004)
• "THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR USING OUR PICTURES" Part II (June 04, 2004)

 

[Via Allen Murabayashi]

 

Comments

[Ben Popken]

We have since apologized and changed our photo story. Please see this post for more details.
http://consumerist.com/consumer/psas/sorry-flickr-236709.php

[bryan]

the consumerist is taking this seriously