THIS PAGE TAKES ON THE ISSUE of INTERNET THEFT, FOCUSING MAINLY ON THE STEALING of  PHOTOS and IMAGES FROM web sites by PEOPLE, BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, etc.
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First:
Thank you to everybody who has ever visited My Best Helsinki.   I hope you will continue to enjoy My Best Helsinki for years to come.

I am saddened by the fact that the need to create this page has arisen.  But it has turned out that my privately owned
photos have been taken without my permission  and have been posted on other sites - some of whom are so callous that they
do not even give me credit, but instead give the photo a new URL, their own URL.
MyBestHelsinki.com is a non-commercial, privately owned web site. We do not get money from anybody. No annoying ads,
and no money from the businesses that we link to. We do offer our photos and images for sale.
When we first started MyBestHelsinki.com, I was an  idealist: I just wanted to show the world how pretty Helsinki is. I still do.
Back then, in the late nineties, it was hard to find a nice, sunny photo of Helsinki on the Internet. The few photos that could
be found were mostly dreary: taken on the only (cloudy) day that a tour, etc, had taken the time to make a stop in this delightful
city.
I wanted to post even very large format photos and images, so that those interested in details could see them. I eagerly offered
any new photographic gem for everyone to see, trusting that people honor the copyright notices marked on the pages. As it has
turned out, I was sorely wrong; there seems to be many people out there who have a totally warped sense of right and wrong.
My Best Helsinki is run by basically one person. I create the pages; I -and one other person- takes the photos. I create the
panoramic or otherwise huge images, which are often heavily photo-shopped. So if someone who steals my photo/image (like
the photos below) and tries to claim that the photos are theirs, I can prove they are lying. I have the original images, which often
means: several photos that have become one, so skillfully put together by me that even I sometimes forget where the "seams" are.
I have all the originals, these stealing people and entities do not.
Sadly, because my photos have been stolen so many times, I have had to add a watermark on each photo. That diminishes the beauty
of the photos and of the site. I am sorry for that, but I see no other choice. The My Best Helsinki photos are for sale, not for just any infringer to grab.

Just a thought, in general: ... Would you trust a person or a business that has stolen... anything....?
IT REALLY SHOULD NOT BE THAT HARD TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND TO ASK FOR PERMISSION BEFORE YOU COPY A PHOTO FROM A WEB PAGE!
BELOW,  A LIST OF INFRINGERS THAT HAVE STOLEN MY PHOTOS:                            
OFFENDER # 1  = "HELSINKI TRAVEL GUIDE", a commercial site that gets advertising money.
This infringer, a commercial travel web site, has
stolen my "Sofia Street Dome" photograph. See it
below, in its only legal location, i.e., on the pages
of My Best Helsinki:
Despite clear copyright notices on MyBestHelsinki.com,
these people chose to steal from me. Not one person
from "Helsinki Travel Guide' bothered to contact me to
ask me if they could use the photo.
 
Enjoy this image  in its only
legal location. Click on image:
"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a. the Dome,
summer night on Sofia Street.

This photo was created  by me from
scratch and heavily photo-shopped.
I would  love to see this infringer to
produce the originals of this image.
The stolen image appears on these two pages
of "Helsinki Travel Guide", next to Priceline's
money paying advertisement.

Stolen picture 1
Stolen picture 2

Helsinki Travel Guide makes money from
advertisements on its site!  
IT MAKES MONEY WHILE  UNLAWFULLY using
MY BEAUTIFUL IMAGE as one of the tools  to
lure viewers and then advertisers to its site.

I cannot help but wonder what all the companies
that advertise on Helsinki Travel Guide will think
when they realize they are giving money to people
who take photos without permission (i.e. steal) 
from other web-sites.



I wonder if my photo is the only photo
that  "Helsinki Travel Guide" has taken
without permission...?




"Helsinki Travel Guide"  has several advertisers,
among others Priceline, Travelocity and even
Google Ads has a link on their sites.
If I was paying someone money to display my ads
on their site, I would like to know that said  the site
in question is not an infringer that just grabs material
from other web sites.
This photo is the sole property of MyBestHelsinki.com. If you see it on any other web-site and/or under any other URL, it is a stolen image.
I would grately appreciate  it if you let me know if you see this photo on any other website.  
HOW HARD IS IT TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND TO ASK FOR  PERMISSION BEFORE GRABBING A PHOTOGRAPH!  My e-mail address is on my web site, just a click away!
OFFENDER # 2  = COST action
This European, intergovernmental organization took
my photo and used it for commercial purposes
for maybe as long as up to a year. They even stole
the  large pop-up version of my photo and 		  named it as if their own. Pretty cheap, right?
Large commercial organizations, stealing from private,
non-commercial web sites. 
This is our URL for the photo. 		 Now,  guess twice if anyone from COST
organization has found a backbone and 
 apologized after we took contact with them...  
Nope. Of course not.

My Helsinki South Harbor Winter photo, on the right, 
is the photo that the above mentioned organization
 stole. Click on the  thumbnail on the right and
see  this  photo in it's only legal context:
Winter in Helsinki, South Harbor. Photo copyright R.C.C.Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com


On the right, one of the ways the stolen photo
showed up after a google search. Since the photo
was stolen and already had a false URL, Google's
warning about possible copyright issues seems like
an extremely lame "effort" to keep in fingers from
stealing. As I have experienced, the notice did
not stop this organization - or other dishonest people
and / or organizations from stealing my photo.  
Our photo that was stolen by COST ACTION
 See full-size image.

The organization's URL was placed here, but I do not
want to link to them, or provide my photo with their URL.
 I have the URL stored, though.
1170 x 823 - 244k
Image may be scaled down and subject to copyright. 
This photo was created  by me from several photos and heavily photo-shopped.
I would  love to see the "COST"- organization produce those originals.
We contacted many people at "COST". The photo has been removed from their site, but, as I mentioned above,  no-one from "COST" has had the integrity to
contact us to offer apologies -or payment for the unauthorized use -commercial use- of this magnificent image -for possibly over a year, if not more.
We are not done with COST.
OFFENDER # 3 = PLANETA MASHA - BLOG
- takes the price for a stunningly warped sense of right and wrong.

The anonymous (of course) person behind this blog stole the
"My Best Helsinki" image below (2 versions of it, including a
large pop-up version).
He took and  posted the photos without our permission
 (i.e. stole them), despite clear copyright notices on every
single page of My Best Helsinki. 
He also prepared a fake URL for the photos, so that there is no
trace of the true/legal ownership (Me & My Best Helsinki) on the
images. Who else than a guilty person does that?




What kind of a person insists on keeping
images they took without permission, even
after the OWNER of the images  protests
and demands you to remove the images
from your page?


I have had to add copyright notices on my photos after so many
This is the  illegal copy of my image of the Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a.
 the"Dome", stolen by the blogger "Planeta Masha", who,  cowardly,
does not provide his name or e-mail address anywhere on his site.
If you look at the "properties" of this  image, you willl see the false URL
that  "Masha" attached a to my image.  
This copy of my image was stolen by a coward with no name, hiding behind the "Planeta Masha" pseudonyme. Note the falsified URL that this photo thief concocted.If you click on the image above, you will see this stolen image on the Masha
blog page. Scroll far down, and there it is, still. This, despite demands that this infringer, "Masha", removes my property from his pages.		 dishonest individuals, with no senseof pride or honor, have seen
it fit to just grab my images without my permission.  If you look at
the properties of  this image, you willl see the correct URL, the My
Best  Helsinki URL. Enjoy this image of the Helsinki Cathedral  in
its only legal location.  Click on image:
Senate Square & Dome
This "Masha"  links to  our web  page, but that simply is no
justification to take photos without permission.
It would have taken him one minute to click on one of the
several e-mail links on MyBestHelsinki.com and to ask for
permission to use the images, but this "Masha" decided to just
grab the images instead, probably thinking I would not notice.

I have demanded "Planeta Masha" to remove my images from
his blog page, but all I got in response were repeated, utterly
childish rants, foul language and  lowbrow name calling.
He also - stunningly -  claims that because he does not like the
way I demanded him to remove the images, he now somehow
has the "right" to keep them on his blog. 
I guess it should not come as a surprise that a person that
thinks it is somehow OK to steal, will sink even lower,
engaging in the  despicable tactics of "blaming the victim".

It is always regrettable when someone prefers to be
intellectually dishonest, instead of doing the right thing.  

It is also regrettable when someone chooses to continue
doing the wrong thing, even though it would be so easy to
right the wrong.

"Masha's" twisted logic also makes him think that he is somehow
doing me a favor by linking to my website.
While I do not object to (decent) websites from linking to mine, I do
object to having my images & photos taken without my permission.
I also do not want people who steal to link to my site, at all.  So,
Mashas warped sense of a "favor" is not a "favor" that I want, at all.

"Masha" displays the version of my  images  that were on my
page before I was forced (by photo stealers) to start adding
watermarks, so these versions of my photos are easy for anyone to
copy. Again, that is not a "favor", at all.		 Quite telling is, of course,  is the fact, mentioned above, that
"Masha" does not have the courage to post under his real name.
He also does not have the courage to provide an e-mail
address, so that he could be contacted directly.

If you know that you have done nothing wrong, you do not
hide behind screen names. But a person who steals,
refuses to right a wrong, calls people foul and ugly names,
probably should hide behind a screen name. I would be
ashamed too,  if  I was Masha...

The sad truth is that I have granted permission to several decent
people -and even a business - to use my photos, after they have
asked.
All Masha had to do was ask for permission, and after inspecting
his site, I would probably have given him my permission to use a
version of this photo that has my signature and copyright notice
on the lower part of the image.

I cannot help but wonder about the whole Masha blog: If "Masha"
saw it fit to take the "My Best Helsinki" photos without permission,
- how about the other photos on his site? Are mine the only ones
he took and displayed without permission? The same question 
goes for all the other infringers on this page.

Additionally:
Some decent people, who have not known that their
hired web designers have taken photos without
permission, have removed the photos in question rapidly,
with truly sincere apologies. Some of those web sites are
not listed on this page.
IT REALLY IS NOT THAT HARD TO DO THE RIGHT THING!

The "SOFIA STREET DOME" -image below, has actually been stolen by quite a few offenders, not just "Helsinki Travel Guide", mentioned above.
Further down, a list of some other infringers that saw it fit to just steal this unique image of mine.
This photo is the sole property of MyBestHelsinki.com. If you see it on any other web-site and/or under any other URL, it is a stolen image.
I would grately appreciate  it if You let me know if you see this photo on any other website.  MyBestHelsinki@aol.com
The light and the colors in this photo were created
by me. The reality was way different and less colorful.
It is utterly  impossible that someone could have taken a
photo from the exact same location and angle and with
the same light and  bright colors.

 THE PHOTO can be seen in its legal spot on my
MyBestHelsinki -index page, where it has been for 
years and years.
Sadly, because of so many stealing  entities, I have
now had to put a large copyright watermark on that photo.
 		"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
BELOW, A LIST OF INFRINGERS THAT STOLE THE SAME PHOTO; MY "SOPHIA STREET DOME" - PHOTO:
OFFENDER # 4  =  BULLAS TRAVEL, Inc
This travel company  took down the photo, with apologies.  

But because of Bullas, this unique photo shows up with a false
URL in so many places over the web: other web sites took
 (i.e. stole) our image from Bullas' site, with Bullas' URL.
This thumbnail, with Bullas' URL, still shows up on the web,
but Bullas obviously  just cannot be bothered with following trough, making sure all versions of the infringing photo are removed from the web.  Ater all, they are the ones that took
the photo and caused all this trouble. They should fix all of it.
BULLAS TRAVEL, INC, stole this MyBestHelsinki.com photo
Helsinki Surrounded by the Baltic on ...
           450 x 338 - 58k - jpg
           www.bullastravel.com
What is it with travel companies, stealing photos?
Enjoy this image  in its only
legal location. Click on image:
"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a. the Dome,
summer night on Sofia Street.

We then  found yet another infringer, , that has taken  my image, with BULLAS Travel's URL on their site! See below:
        OFFENDER # 5  =  WEBLO .COM
Now it gets really convoluted:  This thumbnail, with Bullas' URL, showed up in a
 Google search, this time as if it was the property of "Weblo". I have printed copies
of the infringing Weblo pages as proof.   Appalling people, all of these infringers.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:zhUDqgs1Ie3mZM:http://w
Helsinki Surrounded by the Baltic on ...
450 x 338 - 58k - jpg
www.weblo.com

Enjoy this image  in its only legal
location. Click on image:
"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a. the Dome,
summer night on Sofia Street.
We e-mailed Weblo, but got no response.  The only reason the larger version of this image is no longer on Weblo's page, is that when they
stole the (already stolen) photo from Bullas Travel's web site, they did not change the URL.  So when Bullas removed  the photo  from  their
server, the photo also disappeared fron Weblo's page. To this day Weblo has not responded to our e-mail. Arrogant. No apologies, no offer
of payment for their  unauthorized use of my image on their commercial web-site. So, Weblo will stay on the Shame page.
Just a thought...: Would you trust a business that has stolen... anything...
OFFENDER # 6  = A Russian travel site, which has finally removed my photo after discovering themselves on this Shame page.
What is pretty ironic, is that instead of apologizing, they decided to yell at us for placing them on this page and for calling them out
on the infringement. Oh, well. Thank you for finally doing the right thing anyway. If you do not want to wind up here, ask an owner for
permission before taking a photo. Really, people: It just cannot be that hard to do act honorably and not to steal!
Enjoy this image  in its only       
legal location. Click on image:      
"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a. the Dome,  
summer night on Sofia Street.   
The site in question did not link directly to my photo,
instead they just put their own, fake URL on it.  That
is what infringers do. They know they have stolen,
and  they are trying to cover their tracks.

I do not want to provide a version of my photo without
our watermark, so I replaced the photo with a
watermarked copy of mine.



OFFENDER # 7 = Surprisingly, is an organization that tries
to do good in the world.  Thankfully, this  organization took down
the photo with impressive speed - and massive apologies.
Thank you for doing the honorable thing.

OFFENDER # 8  = A cultural publication took down my  photo
and sent their apologies. Thank you for doing the honorable thing.



Enjoy this image  in its only legal
location. Click on image:
"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com





Helsinki Cathedral, a.k.a. the Dome,
summer night on Sofia Street.
Helsinki Cathedral on cloudy summer night:"Sophia Street Dome", i.e., the Helsinki Cathedral (a.k.a. the Dome) seen from historic Sofia Street in Helsinki. Copyright and all rights RCC Gelber @ MyBestHelsinki.com
This image is the sole property of Me / My Best Helsinki.
If you see this image anywhere else than on the pages of
My Best Helsinki.com, you are looking at a stolen image.

Also, if this image shows up in a Google search in the
context of any other web-site, and / or with the URL of 
any other web-site or company, you are also looking at
a stolen image.  

I would grately appreciate  it if you would let me know if you see
this photo on any other website or  with a non- MyBestHelsinki URL.
Thank you..
OFFENDER # 9  =   Uhm.... I do not know what the name of  this site means, so I will not write it here.
You can see the name of the site from their link, and their site.
This website posted 2 of my photos without permission,  credit or payment. At least this site did not prepare a fake URL for the photos
(so these photos  got my watermarks on them after I added them on these photos).
But that still does not make it OK to post my property without my permission.  How hard is it to do the right thing and ask for permission to use a photo?!
Their page-link:
Scroll down the page. The Havis Amanda Fountain photo & the
Katarina ship in Helsinki's South Harbor, are my photos.
Their URL:  http://www.lahdah.com/vb/showthread.php?t=55504

-The Havis Amanda Fountain photo is a
pop-up photo on my index page:
Click on the left photo, and the large version of the Havis
Amanda photo on the right will pop up.
Havis Amanda statue at the Helsinki Market Square in the South Harbor. Photo & pop-up photo © R.C. Candolin-Gelber 1999, 2000-2007, 2008 -  
-The Katarina ship is also
on my index page:

Cafe Katarina ship in the South Harbor of Helsinki. Presidentialpalace in background. Photo & pop-up photo © R.C. Candolin-Gelber 1999, 2000-2007, 2008 -
Question: Who is so pathetic that of all the gorgeous Helsinki
City photos I have on my site, these people choose a photo of a
statue of a naked woman, and they post it in a huge format on their
site. I mean, this photo is the largest photo on their page, by LARGE.
Yikes!		  



TO ALL OF YOU WHO STOLE MY PHOTOS: SHAME ON YOU! HOW IMMENSELY PATHETIC.
I can prove in court that the photos that have been stolen from our web page  are mine. I have all the originals. Do you? 
Also:
When I see a stolen photo of mine on a web-site,  I make printed copies of the offending web-page,
in all its forms; including the way those stolen photos show up in a Google image search, with faked, infringer-URLs.
That way I have hard proof, if push comes to shove.  I have nothing but contempt toward photo thieves. 
A few thoughts, in general:
-  Does a person with integrity, pride or honor - or backbone - take other people's property without asking first?

-  Does a person with integrity refuse to remove a photo that he/she has taken without permission,
after the owner of the photo tells him to do that?
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