No Piracy Software Anti-Piracy Organization Caught Pirating

What is it with groups or companies involved with enforcing intellectual property rights themselves violating copyright?

First it was Getty Images pirating images relating to the earthquake in Haiti.

Now, it's the No Piracy Software Anti-Piracy organization.

The group ran a facebook ad where they featured a pot of gold.  The tag was that individuals that turned in their employer for software piracy could get a "pot of gold" in return.  The pot of gold image the group used in the ad was lifted from a website dedicated to baking and decorating.  (Cake Central.)



Here's a Newsflash:

Putting an image on a website does not make it public domain.  The photographer still retains the intellectual property rights to that image.

You would hope that people working for companies involved in enforcing intellectual property rights would understand that.  Apparently they don't know that or worse, just don't care.


The problem is that not only do these groups undermine their own credibility with this behavior, they undermine the concept of intellectual property rights.  One of the justifications for theft of intellectual property is "everybody does it."

Having groups involved in enforcing intellectual property rights engage in theft themselves will just enforce that mentality.


Thank you, Getty and No Piracy.