A state Democratic Party flier for congressional candidate Darcy Burner (WA 8th) includes an “unauthorized used” photo. This is a nice way of saying they took it and used it. I am sure they hoped the photographer did not have the resources to deal with it being stolen. Sorry, I am an Eastern Washington boy, so we are very blunt on these matters. The photo, by Michael Yon, is a U.S. solider with a dying Iraqi girl in his arms. You can see the flyer here.

“It’s a copyright infringement, it’s a legal matter,” D.C. attorney John Mason told Seattle Times reporter, David Postman.

As person who has made a living from intellectual property almost their whole adult life, including stock photography, I have zero tolerance for copyright infringement. The photo is this man’s property to use as he sees fit and to sell or not sell as he sees fit. End of story.

If Burner does not condemn the action of the state party and offer payment and an apology to Mr. Michael Yon, then please vote for Congressman Dave Reichert!

After all the 8th CD is the home of Microsoft and we need someone congress who gets it when it comes to intellectual property.

Yes, the flier was produced by the Washington State Democratic Party, not her campaign, but the goal is to help her gain office. Time to show the voters your character Darcy. This was done in your name and for your gain.

Democratic spokesman Kelly Steele said, “Our attorneys have been contacted and are investigating. As Mr. Mason said, it’s a legal matter”, per Postman’s blog.

But it is also a statement on the Democratic state party’s ethics, business practices and views on intellectual property rights. It also will also give an insight into Darcy Burner’s stand on those issues too.

Hats off to both Sound Politics and The Seattle Time’s David Postman for covering this.

Update

It has been pointed out to me that this is the second time copyrighted material has been used without permission for Darcy to gain the seat, the first being the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) using TVW footage without permission. TVW is Washington’s state’s version of C-SPAN and is non-partisan. You can go here to read the Seattle Times Editorial Board story, “Denounce the ad, Darcy Burner.”

Technorati Tags: Darcy Burner, Dave Reichert, Washington State Democratic Party, WSDCC, John Mason, Michael Yon, photography, photo, Democrats, Thief, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, DCCC, TVW

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