Ombudsmannen helps authors

Staffan Teste since 1995 as a consultant worked as an ombudsman and legal counsel for the largest stock association, BLF.

The work has Teste helped hundreds of authors to obtain compensation for infringements of their rights, destroyed or lost original, etc. The disputes have resulted in payments ranging from a few hundred up to over half a million dollars into a stock.
     Individual photographers have been through testing the help received over 150 000 in compensation. Teste has helped authors to get their disputes resolved, both for text, photos, video drawings.

One notable case was the fight over the trademark "A Swedish Tiger", where Staffan Teste in the district court represented the copyright page of the district court against the Armed Forces. Staffan Teste currently runs many goals in the various district courts and courts of appeal, and two cases of HD. Staffan Teste was also involved in an appeal to the Supreme Court in Finland to help a Swedish photographer out of a strange ruling in Finnish Court of Appeal of Rovaniemi, where the photographer lost by 2 votes to 1.

I refused to HD in Finland to take up the appeal of the decision which meant that the photographer sued the wrong party, the advertiser instead of advertising. Teste is currently represented in two high profile cases, which had to appeal in the Supreme Court. The one known as the thumbnail targets is likely to depend in spring 2010. The second case concerns a use of a cover photo on the CD recorded by a photographer utilized by Åhléns in a julreakatalog.

The authors are often the weaker of the disputes on copyright. Therefore operates Image Ombudsman for his work on a percentage basis. After an initial charge of $ 900 including tax takes Image Ombudsman 1/3-del of paid compensation plus tax. In the U.S., lawyers with 40 percent of the compensation authors receive. Do not author any money it costs, therefore no further. Since 1977, very few cases not been possible to solve the author's favor. Having problems contact teste@bildombudsmannen.se
     There is no cost before we undertook the case. Do you want us to take on the case, you can submit a proxy to Image Ombudsman to pursue the dispute. Such authorization shall also apply to the courts.

Copyright disputes are so many that we want you to make possible the basic work first.

1st Documenting the dispute. Is it the case of stolen images on the Internet, print out the page on paper so that one can see that your image is on the unauthorized website. Please note that a printout showing the date and exact website address is likely to be more than a screenshot. One benefit may be to do both. Note the date. Get impartial witness (Not relatives or living) who can testify that it is your pictures and they're at the unauthorized site.
2nd Bill in accordance with the BLF's about price list. You can buy it through the BLF or order it directly from kansliet@blf.se

Third Documenting all conversations. Communicating through letters and ask the other party to respond in the letters / emails and not on the phone. This is to have the evidence if a dispute should arise.

4th Do not you get paid or not the images disappear from the infringing website, please contact Image Ombudsman teste@bildombudsmannen.se

5th If we take the case, we would like to have your written documentation (note copies) in chronological order.

6th Note that a dispute may take time, but it is important that authors stand up for their rights. Remember you as the author writes a proper contract with the customer, like order confirmations, and proper invoices that verify what has been agreed. This helps in case of dispute.

Draft agreement, order confirmation and the draft model release can be found in the BLF's about price list, available from the BLF's office or via email eija@blf.se