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Heineken Taps Google Images For Online Ad Campaign
from the head-for-the-mountains dept
In the Netherlands, Heineken beer has launched a new online campaign that uses Google Image Search to create customized postcards to show one of the company's new products "on tour" around the world. Adverblog points out one potential pitfall -- that images might not be as sedate as some might hope. For instance, typing in Amsterdam returns a picture of a guy smoking a joint. But there's another possible concern: the search field isn't limited in any way, so people can type in whatever they want. Granted, it doesn't look like the images that are created ever appear anywhere other than on the page (they're not emailed out, for instance), but one would imagine there are plenty of people around that don't want their images that are on the web as a background for Heineken ads, and probably plenty of people that would be upset their copyrighted materials could be used in this way. It's nothing anybody with a copy of Photoshop couldn't easily do, but for a company to basically put the tool right there and make it so easy might cause Heineken some problems.
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The guy smoking a joint is not realy a problem in the netherlands. You cant walk trough Amsterdams city center without seeing people smoking joints.
Remember in the Netherlands you can buy cannabis in coffeeshops. No one here in the Netherlands is realy going to be offended by the picture.
Now weed is not even a real competitor, because people like to get strunk (stoned and drunk) anyway.
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Image Owners Can't Control What People Do
If you don't want your content (images) used in various ways, then don't put it on the web. It WILL get used, you won't know who is using it, and there's not very much you could do about it even if you did. I mean, really, if I wanted to take your image and add in some nazi imagery, I can, and then I can spread it all over the globe. Once it's out there it's out there. So chill out.
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Re: Image Owners Can't Control What People Do
Sure, you could. But what does that have to do with it?
There is a big corporation who would quite likely sue me if I were to take a few pictures from their website and use them for my purposes. But they don't seem to have a problem using my pictures (yes, I checked and found lots of them. And I haven't given them permission to use them) in their advertising.
Especially as it says on heineken.com:
"We are proud of our name, products, trademarks and logos. You acknowledge that these are owned or licensed by Heineken and may not be used by you without our express written consent"
as well as
"5. Copyrights belong to Heineken: Heineken is the copyright owner of this site and no portion of this site, including but not limited to the text, images, audio or video, may be used in any manner, or for any purpose, without Heineken’s express written permission, except if indicated herein. Without in any way waiving any of the foregoing rights, you may download one copy of the material on this site for your personal, non-commercial home use only, provided you do not delete or change any copyright, trademark or other proprietary notices. Modification, re-postment or use of the material on this site for any other purpose violates Heineken’s legal rights."
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