Thou Shalt Not Steal...

Below is a photograph I took in July 2009, at the Ardmore Pattern Festival in Ardmore.  It's a good action shot, of a powerboat heading back toward the beach area of the village during a display.  It is by no means a big favourite of mine or anything, just another shot taken on an ordinary enough afternoon.  The organisers of the Ardmore Pattern Festival asked me if they could use it, and some others I took, on their website for future promotion.  I let them, on the condition that if anyone else was to take an interest in the work as a result of seeing the photos on their site then they, the Festival organisers, would clear it with me first.  Do you know where this is heading?  Oh for the record, I didn't ask for any payment from the Ardmore Pattern Festival as they organise a fine festival every year and a lot of them would be friends of mine.

 Now here is where it gets interesting.  About a year after this photo was taken, a man who operates a seasonal sea adventures business asked for use of the same image and I let him use it, again free of charge.  Now for the interesting part to the story...

Six months ago, the Waterford Leader Partnership, a semi-state body who give grants to, support and nurture, and generally take on board good business ideas from individuals and businesses in rural Ireland, decided to publish a very well laid out catalogue of businesses that they have supported with grant aid over the last few years. Two of those businesses happened to be the sea adventures guy and the Ardmore Pattern Festival...

Waterford Leader Partnership decided to "borrow" my image from one of the online locations and use it as part of their very well put together catalogue and to also include it as part of an audio visual PowerPoint which they brought on display to various towns and villages in Waterford, including my home village Ardmore...

To say the presenter of the AV promotion was red-faced when I asked her if she had gotten permission to use my image...

I leave the rest for you to decide...

Mind your pics, you never know who might take a shine to them...