Kactus K Ranch Uses Images Without Permission

Sorry, but imitation is NOT the most sincere form of flattery. You don't take another webmaster's work, modify it, and use it as a major design element at your own web site.

It usually starts so innocently. Another webmaster comes across an image they feel would work well in their own web site design, so they use it. Maybe they never verified where the image came from, and maybe they don't care. Either way, they end up using another webmaster's original work, adapting it to fit their particular use.

Some webmasters feign ignorance and call it a mistake. We, however, refer to it by the layman's term: stealing. (Otherwise known as copyright infringement.)

So, while some other webmasters choose to save time by capitalizing on the work of others, Equine Web Design chooses to create original graphics for their clients' web sites. For example, we've scanned or photographed cow hides, belts, leather, reins, headstalls, lariat rope, barbed wire - all because those elements, once edited, would serve as an attractive design element to a particular web site. When creating the Kyle Ranch Tack web site, first published in 2002, we used a scan of the noseband from a sidepull made of lariat rope to border a modified leather image. The rope was made to tile seamlessly with the leather texture.

Imagine our surprise when we came upon a new web site [06-25-2004], Kactus K Ranch, created by Connie Stoney, and saw the same image created for the Kyle Ranch Tack web site modified and used as the primary design element for the Kactus K Ranch web site without permission.

original image from Kyle Ranch Tack	duplicated image used at www.kactuskranch.com

The Kactus K Ranch web dee signer has used the Kyle Ranch Tack border as a top border, a side border, and altered it for use as a heading graphic. In fact, it's been used "to death" as a design element for Kactus K Ranch. The image taken from the Kyle Ranch Tack web site, created by Equine Web Design, is, in fact, the most dominant and repetitive image found on the Kactus K Ranch web site. Frankly, without using the Kyle Ranch Tack graphic, the Kactus K Ranch web site would be little more than a series of web pages with a plain black background.

A Notice of Infringement was sent by email to the Kactus K Ranch web host, ranch contact kactusk@msn.com, and the site contact Connie Stoney, on 06-25-2004. Sad these things need to be brought to their attention, isn't it?

As of 06-26-2004, Connie Stoney, of Stoney's Web Design, has removed all images from the Kactus K Ranch web site that were based on the Kyle Ranch Tack image. Thanks, Connie. Isn't it nicer to do your own work?