A warning for photographers | Felony

International copyright theft

Ross Vs Tribunnews/Kompas Gramdeia.

Statement of Fact & Public Notice

Claim Reference: SC009441

April/May 2026

In 2009 I took a stroll round my native neighbourhood, I stay on a council property on the sting of the City of Wakefield, very near the notorious most safety jail H.M.P Wakefield.

At that time I usually walked previous the jail on my method into city or simply for a stroll and I at all times took my digicam with me. An affordable Fujifilm Finepix S800 that my Dad had purchased me for Christmas the 12 months beforehand.

I took a number of images of the jail from the general public footpath and from the sting of the recreation discipline on the east facet of the ability. I edited the photographs once I acquired dwelling and caught them

in a folder on my laborious drive, I do not recall if I shared them on Facebook or not at the moment.

In 2010 I began Stageside Photography as a enterprise, focusing totally on music associated pictures akin to gigs, press pack photographs and backstage photographs. This enterprise solely lasted three years earlier than it folded however in that point I amassed 1000’s of photographs.

To put this into context, I’ve at all times been a creator, I’ve written for a number of web sites, one or two magazines and I’ve written 18 books, 5 of that are held in my native libraries.

I’ve been an artist who has bought over 150 work. I’ve received an award from the Wakefield Civic Society for considered one of my images. I’ve licensed photographs to skilled bands for promotional and Album/EP/DVD covers and I’m revered in my neighborhood for my work.

My first printed {photograph} was in 2007, I used to be witness to a marijuana develop home being busted. I need to admit my good friend and I had been extra within the quantity of produce that was going to waste however, I used to be skilled sufficient to seize my digicam and doc the motion.

I contacted the Wakefield Express they usually requested if I might thoughts in the event that they used the picture. As pictures wasn’t a enterprise for me at the moment I agreed, blissful to see my work in print they usually credited me because the photographer.

Just a few years later in 2010 I used to be on a household day trip for my late Mother’s birthday along with her and my 16 12 months previous daughter. After a pleasing wander round Peace Hall and the city we headed for the practice station.

As we sat on the platform ready for the practice dwelling a hoard of British Transport Police descended and took over half of the station. As I had my digicam with me I positioned it in my lap and took just a few discrete photographs of the Police. We had been knowledgeable {that a} far proper demonstration was going down they usually had been anticipating them on the following practice after ours.

When we acquired dwelling I uploaded the day’s photographs to Facebook. Within the hour I used to be contacted first by the group Hope not Hate, after which the Halifax Courier, requesting to make use of the pictures of the Police. Again I agreed with out asking for something greater than credit score.

I’m uncertain which of the pictures had been used as I did not get a replica of the paper on the time and have not seemed for it since.

Two nationwide Newspapers had the decency to ask my permission to make use of the pictures, one thing that Tribunnews and Kompas Gramedia preach but fail to do.

In 2010 I started Stageside Photography and upgraded from the S800 to a Nikon D60, though not the most recent Nikon mannequin it was a large improve and enabled me to step again into the world of handbook pictures.

After a 12 months of utilizing this digicam I by chance dropped it whereas on a paid picture shoot for a household. With the D60 damaged and the insurance coverage firm refusing to pay with out me having to pay an extra that I could not afford. I confronted a alternative, give up or double down.

I selected the latter and took on a bank card debt that I could not actually afford to buy a brand new Nikon D3200 and a telephoto lens. I used to be prepared to get myself into debt for my artwork as a result of I believed in my work.

The irony in that is that I acquired myself into debt for my work and, an organization with huge assets like Tribunnews are unwilling to pay to license a picture.

Around this time I used to be additionally concerned as an advocate and supporter for photographers rights.

The Police had been over-using Section 44 towards photographers. Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 allowed police to cease and search anybody with out cheap suspicion in designated areas.

Following a 2010 marketing campaign run by photographers and a mass protest in London European Court of Human Rights ruling (Gillan and Quinton) that deemed these powers a violation of privateness, the UK Government suspended and subsequently changed them.

My involvement wasn’t major, I bought a T-shirt with the marketing campaign slogan “I’m a photographer, not a terrorist” printed on the entrance and I created a video which included a whole bunch of photographs of different photographers holding up placards with the identical slogan. This video reached 4.3k views in a short while.

My expertise with copyright does not finish there. As I’m additionally a musician and in 1999 I labored for the PRS (Performing Rights Society) for simply over a 12 months, I used to be requested to get a passport and go to the USA to work for them.

Unfortunately I selected the unsuitable path and determined a relationship was extra essential than a profession. A mistake that turned the ending of the connection anyway. My job with the PRS was implementing royalty collections.

I’ve additionally mentioned copyright regulation with two attorneys who concentrate on that space, a few years in the past I was picked up on a slip street on the M1 by them, we stopped for a cup of espresso at a service station and spent the following few hours discussing copyright legal guidelines.

Returning to 2010, once I started Stageside Photography my intention was to focus totally on music associated photographs, I needed to design album covers like different well-known photographers/artists had, I’ve at all times been an enormous fan of Pink Floyd and Storm Thorgerson’s work particularly.

Unfortunately I by no means acquired to fulfill or discuss to Storm however I did get to talk with world well-known artist John Van Hamersfeld (designer of The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour album cowl and plenty of different well-known works)

He informed me in regards to the points he had with working for the Beatles, a warning about media giants stepping on creators. This case I’m concerned in proves issues have not modifications for the reason that 1960’s.

At one time I used to be additionally in touch with photographer Ian Tilton who was at all times blissful to debate pictures and associated topics. He disappeared shortly after his well-known dispute with the stone roses and their unreasonable contract.

I’ve a community of well-known and not-so-famous photographers from the world over, together with Henry Diltz and Rudy De Donker, in addition to the above talked about. I’ve a confirmed observe file of understanding copyright, the music and pictures industries and the organisations concerned.

My images have been printed by nationwide information papers, magazines, as DVD and EP covers, and as prints. I’ve received awards for photographs I’ve taken, the newest being from the Wakefield Civic Society for my picture of the 99 Arches in Wakefield.

I’ve received competitions with my images, considered one of which the prize was a good looking Orange amplifier, the picture I received this with was of an affordable guitar that I and a good friend had spent hours painstakingly sticking cash to the physique of.

As you’ll be able to see I’m not only a freelance photographer, I’ve a lifetime of expertise and far of this consists of the enterprise of pictures, artwork, music and copyright.

I’m a longtime creator with a background in licensing photographs, promoting and having my work printed.

Just so as to add I’m additionally disabled, gone are the times once I might go for a stroll with my digicam and simply snap away. My well being points dictate my life now.

In 2018 I wrote a chunk in regards to the historical past of Wakefield Prison, often known as; The Monster Mansion for the quantity of inmates who’ve dedicated horrific crimes residing there. As such I used a picture I had taken of Wakefield Prison from the west, exhibiting the excessive partitions and the clock tower, considered one of 4 comparable photographs from completely different angles that I took that day.

I assumed nothing extra of it after publishing the article on the web site Vocal Media.

In May 2024 I obtained a notification electronic mail from the web site Pixsy who had flagged considered one of my photographs as being utilized by an Indonesian information outlet referred to as Tribun News. I tried to unravel this amicably and despatched Tribun an electronic mail stating that they had been utilizing my picture with out permission and with out correct credit score.

They had used a credit score to Vocal Media however they had been hotlinking direct from my bandwidth on there, in actuality the credit score and the picture hyperlink solely took you to the place the picture was being hosted.

The unique date of the Tribun information article of sixteenth June 2020 might be seen on the primary screenshot under and exhibits a picture which Tribun used from the Wakefield Express on the high of their article.

I’m not sure in the event that they paid the Express to make use of their photographs or not as I did not obtain any reply when I emailed the Express to tell them of my case and the usage of their picture.

Having obtained no reply from Tribun information I submitted a case towards them by way of Pixsy on January thirtieth however was knowledgeable that they might not tackle the case as Indonesia was out of their juristiction.

This was a disappointment to me and so I forgot about it for some time, Until May this 12 months once I obtained one other electronic mail from Pixsy alerting me to the usage of the picture by Tribun. I made a decision this time I might pursue it additional.

Once extra I tried to succeed in out to Tribun News and once more they did not reply, I tried to contact a number of completely different departments and was nonetheless ignored.

Eventually I acquired by way of to their internet hosting firm Cloudinary.com and initiated a DMCA takedown discover. Finally somebody listened and I am blissful to say my picture was eliminated, together with two others that they’d used belonging to another person.

I wasn’t leaving it there although, they’d been utilizing my picture for six years and incomes income from it.

I felt cheated out of potential earnings, to not point out the truth that the DMCA takedown additionally affected my very own article and the picture has been faraway from there too.

I attempted once more to succeed in out to Tribun and this time my emails bounced again. Not solely had been they ignoring me, they had been now blocking my emails. I took to Social Media and tagged them in a put up and nonetheless silence. It was like being in a graveyard at 2am on their own, the silence was deafening.

I took my case to my native MP who knowledgeable me he could not assist however did supply some hyperlinks the place I could possibly discover assist.

I contacted the AOP (Association of Photographers) they usually could not assist however once more supplied recommendation. And I contacted the IPO (Intellectual Property Office) however they could not assist both.

It appeared that the chances had been stacked towards me however then I discovered a glimmer of hope, a debt assortment company who labored on a no-win no-fee foundation referred to as Safe-Collections.

They had been very pleasant and sincere in regards to the case and the small likelihood of a win however they had been blissful to tackle the case for me as they’d companions in Indonesia.

I put collectively a case file exhibiting all of the proof from the EXIF data of the unique picture on my laptop, to the bounced emails and former contact makes an attempt. I added every part I might together with the screenshots after which it was a case of sitting again and ready.

The wait was agonising to say the least, then the day got here that Safe-Collections phoned me, to say it was unhealthy information is an understatement.

The end result wasn’t good, Tribun News have principally acknowledged that they do not care they’re stealing from a person freelancer and know that it’s financially inconceivable for me to take this additional legally with a court docket case which might take as much as 4 years to come back to completion and God is aware of how a lot cash.

Some might say that the quantity of £7,500 I’m asking is an excessive amount of only for {a photograph}.

To these individuals I say; In my first electronic mail to Tribunnews in 2024 I requested them to pay £500 for 2 years licensing. This breaks right down to £250 per 12 months, that’s round £0.68p per day.

The common licensing charge for a picture is £50–£250 for small-scale editorial or e-book use, as much as £2,000–£5,000+ for giant industrial campaigns, and over £20,000 for world perpetual promoting.

As Tribunnews used the picture with out licensing and correct credit score, within the UK a User Principle is added. This is a charge added to the licensing, a positive should you like.

However, as a result of they stored it stay for 2000+ days, this strikes it from a “one-off use” to a Long-term Digital Asset. In the trade, “Perpetual” or “Unlimited” digital licenses for a serious information outlet (which Tribunnews is) simply climb into the $£2,000–$5,000+ vary.

The £7,500 I’m asking works out at £3.42 per day. Less than the price of an honest espresso.

Here are only a few examples of current comparable instances:

The London Post Case (2025): Photographer Richard Southall was awarded £335 (approx. $452) in a default judgement for unauthorised picture utilization, although accumulating fee proved difficult.

Local Radio Dispute (2023): Photographer Mitchell received a, case towards V2 Radio concerning unauthorised use, leading to a court docket win after the station failed to have interaction.

Creative Commons Case (2024):

Photographer Larry Philpot efficiently sued Independent Journal Review for utilizing a photograph

with out offering the required attribution beneath a Creative Commons license.

High-Stakes Verdict (2023): A photographer secured a major $6.3 million verdict towards Pacifica Senior Living for wilful infringement after 43 pictures had been used and not using a license.

This is not the top; I’ve escalated this to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) small claims observe in London and The Dewan Pers (Indonesian Press Council) I’m at present reviewing the submitting charges and worldwide service procedures concerned with the IPEC.

I’ll admit I would favor to settle this amicably, reasonably than including UK court docket prices, plus curiosity to the debt.

As such I implore Tribunnews to contact me and work out a settlement, I’m not an unreasonable man by any means, I simply need what I’m owed.

Tribunnews and their mother or father firm Kompas Gramedia preach about copyright ethics and but they hypocritically bully and steal from unbiased photographers. I ponder what number of others images they’re utilizing with out permission or licensing?

I could have misplaced a battle (or drawn) towards these media giants however the conflict shouldn’t be over.

When multi-million greenback corporations throw their weight round most individuals buckle and drop their instances. I do know the procedures concerned to take care of them, however this case must be taken as a warning to others within the Photography trade about their misconduct.

I’ve even be contacted Indonesian watchdog organisations,the Indonesian Cyber Police and several other related pictures organisations in Indonesia and in different nations informing them of the double requirements of Tribunnews.

In conclusion; Anyone who steals a picture/makes use of it with out permission and/or credit score, must be held accountable. To some {a photograph} may be a gathering of pixels and lightweight, however to many photographers it represents years of follow, studying the craft, understanding gentle, in addition to the costly price of kit, we put our hearts and souls, and infrequently our well being on the road to seize these photographs, what offers anybody the fitting to simply take our work and use it for financial achieve themselves? Especially once they preach about copyright ethics.