Stolen Pictures

Decorating By reginaherrin Updated 27 May 2014 , 2:27pm by lingua

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reginaherrin Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 6:39pm
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I have read a few posts before about people finding websites with stolen cake pictures on them but have never found one myself until today.  I was bored and on the computer and just for the fun of it I decided to go to craigslist to look up local bakery ads.  I came across one that had some great pictures so decide to check her site out just because I liked her work.  As I was browsing around I came across a picture I knew belonged to another bakery and I know it did because this is my favorite bakery website.  They are in a different state then me but have beautiful cakes and I try to check them out often to get inspiration for my cakes or just to see what awesome cakes they have done.  After I saw this picture I decided to look through all the albums and compared the really good ones to others and realized that there are a ton of pictures that are not this bakeries.  I did a google photo search of a few and found another really big bakery that she stole picture from.  I just sent her an email letting her know about the pictures and that I will be letting the bakeries know if she doesn't take them off.  I am just so dumbfounded that someone would do something like this. Especially taking them from big bakeries that would be easy to find, one is from Las Vegas and is very well known and has even been on some bakery shows.  It just sucks that some people are so dishonest.

107 replies
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as you wish Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 6:46pm
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AMaybe I am willingly naive on this, but I tend to assume that people who do this don't realize how wrong it is. I think it is well worth pointing it out to them though! And definitely follow through with what you are doing here! I think/hope that they are ignorant about what they are doing; I don't think ignorance is an excuse.

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liz at sugar Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 6:48pm
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No, I'm betting it is intentional.  If you didn't need to steal other's photos, you wouldn't do it.

 

Liz

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reginaherrin Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 6:59pm
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I totally think it is intentional.  She says she went to Le Cordon Bleu College and has been in business for 8 years.  You have to know after that amount of time it is a big no-no and have enough pictures to have a full portfolio.

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as you wish Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:00pm
post #5 of 108

AYep, you're right. There goes a little more of my faith in humanity.

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aem1029 Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:07pm
post #6 of 108

There is a girl in my area that did a groupon, so naturally I checked her out.  Her facebook page was nothing but stolen photos with a few of hers thrown in.  You could totally tell too because most were professional looking and the ones that weren't professional photos, the cakes were not up to par with the others.  She also used a lot of Bakerella's cake pop photos.  I find it disgusting honestly.  It like on cake wrecks where they show a nice picture of what the client ordered and then they show the photo of what they actually received, lol.  I feel bad for the clients...

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jennicake Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:15pm
post #7 of 108

AKijiji and Craigslist are full of lazy, stupid people. I once had a condo for sale and posted some pics on kijiji. Someone selling a similar unit stole my pics but then described the differences in their listing (eg "unit is similar to picture but appliances are in black and counters are in grey" etc. )

Like As You Wish, I used to believe people were ignorant. But they really are just lazy and believe they can get away with anything

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sirena Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:28pm
post #8 of 108

https://www.facebook.com/groups/297830446869/members/#!/DCCakesAndCatering?fref=ts

a love her work she is very creative, beautiful cakes!

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AZCouture Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:34pm
post #9 of 108

Oh it's intentional, you betcha. And usually, the response you get when you point it out to someone is angry entitled whines about minding your own business, or it gets blamed on their "web designers". I have yet to see someone reply with a completely genuine apology or that they really didn't realize it wasn't kosher.

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AZCouture Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:35pm
post #10 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by aem1029 

There is a girl in my area that did a groupon, so naturally I checked her out.  Her facebook page was nothing but stolen photos with a few of hers thrown in.  You could totally tell too because most were professional looking and the ones that weren't professional photos, the cakes were not up to par with the others.  She also used a lot of Bakerella's cake pop photos.  I find it disgusting honestly.  It like on cake wrecks where they show a nice picture of what the client ordered and then they show the photo of what they actually received, lol.  I feel bad for the clients...

Please forward the links to the owners when you can. We have to look out for each other.

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aem1029 Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:51pm
post #11 of 108

I did...this was months ago.  I wrote bakerella and a cake shop in NY (can't remember the name) and neither one of them responded and the photos are still up on her facebook page.  I guess they weren't too concerned with it.  I'd be pissed!

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AZCouture Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:53pm
post #12 of 108

AYeah, I'd imagine Bakerella and Pink Cake Box get daily emails about it. They do appreciate it though, trust me.

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aem1029 Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 7:55pm
post #13 of 108

Yes, It was Pink Cake Box!  I would definitely want to know.  That's why I also watermark my photos, strategically so it cannot be cropped out.  

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cupadeecakes Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 8:02pm
post #14 of 108

Yeah, I would want to know too.  You can copy my designs all day long, but don't steal my photos!
 

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reginaherrin Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 8:34pm
post #15 of 108

A lot of pink cake box pictures and Freed's Bakery in Las Vegas was the ones she stole but I know there are more.  She has a separate page of mini cakes that I think are all other bakery pictures.  There is one with about 10 mini pregnant belly cakes that I believe I saw posted on here months ago that she has on her site. 

 

Jennicakes, I actually had a similar experience on craigslist when I was home hunting.  I found a nice home I liked with tons of pictures and a really really great price.  I wanted to check out the location so I Google mapped the house and went to do a drive by.  Well I found a different sign in the yard with all different prices and contact numbers.  So I called the number to let them know about craigslist and they had already known.  Someone has stolen their pictures and posted their own ad to scam people out of money and the owners had already had a few other of their ads taken down but they keep putting them back up.  I am so glad I decided to look at the house in person.  I was already a bit leery of the price since it was so low and seemed well below market.

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 8:53pm
post #16 of 108

I think some decorators steal pictures they believe they can copy exactly. So in their nice unethical little way, they justify stealing a picture of someone else's hard work and creativity, because they can do it 'just as well'.

I don't agree with claiming someone else's work as your own in any way shape or form, but at least stick to your own level, lol. It really boggles my mind when they will take a picture form someone like Ron Ben Israel, or some massive 3D cake with crazy internal support. What happens when someone orders one?

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kimmisue2009 Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:02pm
post #17 of 108

from asyouwish "Yep, you're right. There goes a little more of my faith in humanity."

 

Humanity is definitely NOT where ya wanna place your faith unless you want a steady side of disappointment to go with your cake!

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scrumdiddlycakes Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:27pm
post #18 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by kimmisue2009 

from asyouwish "Yep, you're right. There goes a little more of my faith in humanity."

 

Humanity is definitely NOT where ya wanna place your faith unless you want a steady side of disappointment to go with your cake!


yummm, despair and chocolate.

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reginaherrin Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:27pm
post #19 of 108

So I just contacted Freeds Bakery and Pink Cake Box to let them know.  I am sure I will not hear anything back from them but I feel better knowing I told them.  What's funny is that she has watermarked all the photos on her site and you can't save them, except for the few that is in the heading of each page.  I have just found one topsy turvy Mario cake from someone on this site so I am sure there are tons of cakes from this site on her website. 

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embersmom Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:32pm
post #20 of 108

Exactly.

 

The next thing I wonder is...say if a customer sees the cake(s) in question on the website without knowing those photos were stolen and that customer goes to that bakery and wants that very same cake that's in the photo...and what if, for whatever reason, the bakery in question cannot make good on that?  What then, hmmm?
 

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embersmom Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:37pm
post #21 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by liz at sugar 

No, I'm betting it is intentional.  If you didn't need to steal other's photos, you wouldn't do it.

 

Liz


 Exactly.

 

And what happens, say, if a customer sees one of those photos and contacts the bakery in question to order a cake "just like the photo"?  What if, for whatever reason, the bakery cannot replicate it?  What then?  Hmmm?

 

Just to segue here for a second, something similar happened when we hired a decorator a few years ago.  She came in with a portfolio full of photos that were obviously printed off a number of websites.  When it came time for her to demonstrate the basic stack/ice/decorate an 8" cake, she had no idea what to do.  Our HR person felt badly for her because it was obvious she was desperate for the job, so she was hired.  She was fired maybe not a month or two later because she just couldn't "get" anything to do with decorating, not even stacking/icing a 8" cake.

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as you wish Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:39pm
post #22 of 108

A

Original message sent by embersmom

Exactly.

The next thing I wonder is...say if a customer sees the cake(s) in question on the website without knowing those photos were stolen and that customer goes to that bakery and wants that very same cake that's in the photo...and what if, for whatever reason, the bakery in question cannot make good on that?  What then, hmmm?

 

Then Jen at Cake Wrecks makes us laugh and laugh!

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embersmom Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:44pm
post #23 of 108

BTW -- I deleted my post up there because I wanted to quote Liz.  It didn't show up the first time around for some weird reason.
 

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reginaherrin Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 9:46pm
post #24 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by embersmom 

Exactly.

 

The next thing I wonder is...say if a customer sees the cake(s) in question on the website without knowing those photos were stolen and that customer goes to that bakery and wants that very same cake that's in the photo...and what if, for whatever reason, the bakery in question cannot make good on that?  What then, hmmm?
 

Exactly and what is funny is that she hasn't put any 3-D cakes except for very, very easy cutout ones.  So more then likely she just can't do 3-D cakes.

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kikiandkyle Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 10:47pm
post #25 of 108

AI contacted a couple of bakeries recently to let them know about a prolific CL poster in my area that was using their photos but never heard anything back. The various watermarks were all there still, they'd made no attempt to cover them up!

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ReneeFLL Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 11:05pm
post #26 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by reginaherrin 

I have read a few posts before about people finding websites with stolen cake pictures on them but have never found one myself until today.  I was bored and on the computer and just for the fun of it I decided to go to craigslist to look up local bakery ads.  I came across one that had some great pictures so decide to check her site out just because I liked her work.  As I was browsing around I came across a picture I knew belonged to another bakery and I know it did because this is my favorite bakery website.  They are in a different state then me but have beautiful cakes and I try to check them out often to get inspiration for my cakes or just to see what awesome cakes they have done.  After I saw this picture I decided to look through all the albums and compared the really good ones to others and realized that there are a ton of pictures that are not this bakeries.  I did a google photo search of a few and found another really big bakery that she stole picture from.  I just sent her an email letting her know about the pictures and that I will be letting the bakeries know if she doesn't take them off.  I am just so dumbfounded that someone would do something like this. Especially taking them from big bakeries that would be easy to find, one is from Las Vegas and is very well known and has even been on some bakery shows.  It just sucks that some people are so dishonest.

 

Wow. Thats interesting. I came across a craigslist ad on Sunday with a link to a FB page. I saw one of my pictures and I was upset. I take the time to make a cake and photograph it and someone steals my work. Not if I can help it. I started notifying people who had watermarked their photos. Unfortunately, some I could not read or locate the company. In the end I sent out about 50 FB private messages and emails. I received thanks from Pink Cake Box, Ron Ben Israel and many others.

 

About 8 months ago I had notified Rumba Cake Designs to take down my picture and that they were not supposed to use photos from others without the owners permission. I did notify 3 other people at that time. I had also noticed that they had lots of photos that did not belong to them, but I didn't have the time to notify all the others. At that time I also commented on a watermarked photo from Australia. I posted asking if they had made it. They said yes! That was one of the companies that I notified. 

 

Here is part of a letter that I sent to someone when we were chatting back and forth thru emails. This person was very thankful that I had notified them.

 


"I will confess. I am totally bored since I am going to have knee surgery on Thursday. I am not supposed to be doing to much and I way over did it yesterday. In pain and cant take anything since it is less than a week away so I am wasting my time on the computer. I make cakes, but on a very small scale. I love looking at photos of beautiful cakes. I noticed this person with a bunch of photos that I figured did not belong to him. I also saw the RBI cake photo and knew he was stealing photos. I already sent RBI an email. I have also sent about 20 emails or Facebook messages to others."
 
The company that is using photos from others is Rumba Cake Designs in Miami/Miramar, Florida. Their FB page is no longer up and their website is also down. 
One of the owners is Yolanda Leal and she has a personal FB page. There are also some photos of stunning elaborate cakes and then there are some photos of IMO not very good at all.
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ReneeFLL Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 11:16pm
post #27 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZCouture 

Oh it's intentional, you betcha. And usually, the response you get when you point it out to someone is angry entitled whines about minding your own business, or it gets blamed on their "web designers". I have yet to see someone reply with a completely genuine apology or that they really didn't realize it wasn't kosher.

 

Exactly. This person has been doing it for a long time and doesn't seem to care. 

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AZCouture Posted 6 Aug 2013 , 11:44pm
post #28 of 108

AI found out recently that one local to me told the owner of the.photographs, when she caled to confront them, that she was harming their potential business by demanding that they be removed from their site. Can you believe that?! "But we neeeed your photos, how will we get any orders?! You big meanie!" How's that for a disconnect from any reality most people know?

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LoveMeSomeCake615 Posted 7 Aug 2013 , 2:22am
post #29 of 108
Quote:
Originally Posted by AZCouture 

I found out recently that one local to me told the owner of the.photographs, when she caled to confront them, that she was harming their potential business by demanding that they be removed from their site. Can you believe that?! "But we neeeed your photos, how will we get any orders?! You big meanie!" How's that for a disconnect from any reality most people know?

Wow. That's just...yeah. Umm, how about MAKE YOUR OWN CAKES like the rest of us??? icon_mad.gif

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LoveMeSomeCake615 Posted 7 Aug 2013 , 2:23am
post #30 of 108

This apparently happens to photographers too. I recently came across a website dedicated to exposing "photographers" who steal and post other photog's pictures to promote their business. 

 

Edited to fix typo

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