© AFP
I received an email from ANP (Dutch news agency) that I had violated copyright/failed to obtain a license for a picture I used, a picture made the day after the tragic loss of cyclist Wouter Weylandt during stage 3 of the 2011 Giro d’Italia.
I was offered a settlement for 400 Euros…
While I always try and find the original photo (‘s owner/source) and attribute accordingly, I sometimes grab a picture from a site where there is no mention of that information.
Which, according to ANP’s FAQ, doesn’t give me free pass and is still a copyright infringement.
This is the first time in 20-odd years of running this blog – and its Dutch predecessor – having spent countless hours in maintaining it.
So, as I realized I’m at risk of being forced into “settlements” again, I decided to shut down my blog.
Surprisingly, however, I received many requests to reconsider – I guess that despite the lack of “interaction”, there are more fellow cyclists that find useful information here than I thought.
Or they just giggle at me making fun of myself 😂
So, this blog is back online, but if I receive another “settlement” proposal, that’s it. I do not have the funds required for this shit and even if I did, I’d rather give that money to charity…
I have (double) checked the pictures I use for possible infringements and removed those I was in doubt about.
And even while I now have a license to use the picture I paid for, it’s only for one year, plus:
“The license that you take out is for a one-off publication, unless you have made other agreements with the ANP about this. If you want to use the photo again, you must purchase a new license from the ANP. You may not save the photo in your own system after publication.”
So, I quickly removed it from the two prior posts dedicated to Wouter…
