Image Use Is Still A Problem In This Industry

As an installer, is there anything more annoying than when another company uses your image for their own use without permission? All that hard work and effort, just for someone else to use your work in their name for their gains. Irritating? Damn right.

The issue of image use is one of the most fiercely talked about when the problem raises it’s head from time to time. Of course everyone wants images to use as part of their marketing to help win business. But image use has to be done fairly, with the right permissions sought, and credit given to the companies willing to lend their images out to others. Not a lot to ask, but it appears that many are still happy to go on using other people’s work and sell it under their own name.

It’s happened to us

I was sent this the other day:

Recognise the image on the left? Yes, that is our showsite glazed extension. Recently completed following massive renovations of an old white Gable PVCu conservatory. It has featured on this website as part of a poll post asking people to vote on what they think it should cost a home owner. It has also featured on our own company website.

You might be wondering why I have blanked out the company details in the advert. I will be contacting the company in the coming days to find out exactly why our showsite glazed extension is being used in their advertising. If it turns out our suppliers were asked to provide sample pictures, then I shall bear that in mind in my response to them, although if it turns out to be that permission being asked would have been nice first.

However, if it turns out to be 100% dodgy and they just copied the image from either this or our company website then we’ll be taking further action. This is our work on our property and no permissions were sought from us to use it under any other company name or for any other purpose.

This isn’t the first time our work has been copied by other companies and used under different names. There have been a string of cases over the past few years were other companies have blatantly taken images of our work and used it under their name. I have confronted them all, all have backed down, some less willingly than others.

There needs to be clarity on this issue though. On the one hand there are installers out there clearly ripping other installers off and stealing their images. On the other hand there suppliers who are naturally trying to expand their own product image portfolios, but where other customers are asking to use them for their own marketing. Is this right? And should the guidelines on such a thing be a lot clearer?

Where you can and cannot use images

There will always be installers who will steal photos from other installers for their own use and hope they don’t get caught. There is very little we can do other than to be vigilant and keep an eye out for anything that might look familiar.

What has been on the rise however is suppliers who have been tapping into their installer base for images of their products. And quite rightly too. Harvesting of images is a typically time consuming and difficult task for fabricators as the running of their business leaves them little room to do much else. Hence they rely on their installers to provide images for their own marketing purposes.

I think most installers don’t mind providing images for fabricators to flesh out their marketing campaigns. After all, a healthy fabricator makes them more reliable for the installer. What I do think irks some is when other installers ask for access to those images from the fabricator to then be used for their own marketing. Is this pushing the permissions of image use too far? I believe this is a grey area that needs clarification.

For example, when a fabricator asks an installer for images, do they specify what they will be used for? If not, then perhaps it should be, so that the installer can decide if they want other installers to be able to access them and be used for other purposes. Should fabricators create some form of formal agreement to ensure that both parties are protected?

This is a grey area. I know in the past that installers have sent in their images to their suppliers, only for them to be lent out to other installers for them to use, without giving the original installer any credit. It’s a difficult situation. Fabricators want all installers to promote their products, but installers don’t want other installers to be claiming their work as their own in the name of getting a sale.

For me, I think suppliers should create a clearer system for installers. A formal way for installers to supply images, perhaps a two-tiered system. Option A for installers who are happy to supply images to fabricators for use in their own marketing. Option B where installers are happy for other installers to use their images if requested. Maybe fabricators could even set up a rewards system to encourage installers to use Option B, perhaps offering a discount on their products.

Either way, these are muddy water becoming even muddier, and given how powerful social media is, instances of image theft are only going to increase. Clarity is needed.