Dear members and friends of ipernity,

1. Bulletin from our club president.

On 7 October 2023 we were presented with a claim for monetary damages from a well-established and reputable German-headquartered company that specializes in obtaining compensation from intellectual property theft (e.g. copyright infringements) because of the actions of an ipernity member. He is now a past member because his account was promptly deleted along with the image that had been uploaded without the photographer's permission as required by the Digital Services Act (DSA).

When we received notification, we were instructed to make payment of EUR553.29 / USD587.65 no later than 20 October 2023. This is the third time I had to work with this company, which I hope is the last. Fortunately we again came to an amicable resolution and the claim was withdrawn because of legal considerations and our prompt action.

At the same time, in the best interests of the site and spirit of cooperation and to fulfill legal requirements, I provided all pertinent information about this member so this company could better pursue their claim. Know that when one deliberately chooses to commit illegal acts such as intellectual property theft, their interests are subordinate to those of the community and all members in good standing, which I and the rest of the team serve.

As a reminder, while some may consider such acts as innocent and harmless, they are in fact serious with real legal consequences that violate our 'Guidelines of Good Conduct' and 'Terms of Use'. This understanding is imperative since intellectual property laws, especially with regard to digital platforms like ours, remain dynamic in the European Union, subject to change by future court decisions. So, in conclusion, if an image is not yours or if you have doubts it meets the requirements to be a derivative "original" creation, just say, "No" and do not upload it.

Thank you and best regards,

William

Thank you William, a reference to the above has been added to the Upload page, so that everyone is aware.

2. Option for setting 'Unknown' photo creation date.
As a viewer you may now see 'Taken:' date displayed as "--/--/----". Rather than the user having to set some inaccurate guess, they can use this option. It is found on the popup box from the '(change)' link beside the date. Due to the restrictions of the existing programming, the user who wishes to set an 'unknown' date, does still have to enter a valid date, but being 01/01/1800 it is not onerous.

3. Homepage pictures for the winter season.
In just under four weeks, the motifs on our homepage will switch to the winter season. You may help with the selection again by voting on the former pictures. You will find a link to the voting there: Winter Pictures 2022/23.

On this occasion, we ask you to check your hard drive for appropriate new picture proposals. Besides typical outdoor winter motifs, indoor shootings are also very suitable: Portraits, still life, macro shots, atmospheric shots with candles, cups with hot drinks (chocolate, grog), pets, board games, books in cosy reading places, and so on. Let your imagination run riot and post your proposals here: Ipernity Home Page - Picture Proposals.

4. In memoria.

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our long time member, Jonathan Cohen. Condolences and comments can be made on their in memoria page.

Your ima team.