> I checked the Digimarc option available through PS - doesnt' seem to
> be reasonable due to teh leasing issues that aren't exactly cheap.
I have used Digimarc for many years, until they changed there policy about
renewing your subscription.
I was really disappointed (frustrated) about there move.
If you are interested you can read why I am dissapointed in Digimarc in the
following email conversation with Digimarc Customer Care.
With kind regards,
Henk de Jong
The Netherlands
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Dear Mr. DeJong,
We are sorry to learn that you will no longer be using our product and
services. We thank you for using ImageBridge services in the past. If your
situation changes, and you find our services needed, please feel free to
contact us for a renewal.
Sincerely,
Customer Care
-----Original Message-----
From: Henk de Jong
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 1:33 AM
To: Customer Care
Subject: Re: Expiration Notice
Dear people at Digimarc,
I am a customer of Digimarc for many years. I am an amateur photographer who
likes to share his photos on the World Wide Web with other people who are
interested in traveling in Nepal and Burma.
When Paint Shop Pro introduced Digimarc Watermarking many years ago I
immediately asked for a Digimarc ID and got the number 471638.
>From then on I could protect my photos on the web. Publishing my photos on
the Web is a hobby. I do not earn anything from it. Last year I included a
Paypal Donation button on my homepages, but the result is still zero. Nobody
donated anything.
In April 2000 I received an email from your company with "New Digimarc
Plan - MarcSpider now more affordable" as the subject. I was offered a free
of charge Basic Digimarc ID with wich I could watermark up to 99 images
annually. And there was more! In addition, my Digimarc ID now included the
ability to link from the watermark embedded in my images directly to an URL
of my choice.
This was nice and I used this ability. I had a page on my website which
clamed my copyrights. I was also very glad that I could watermark all of my
images on the Web, as long as the grow was less than 100 images a year. I
thought this was very useful, also for other photographers on the Web.
Therefore I advertised your company on my website.
"The larger images contain an embedded unique Digimarc ImageBridge Digital
Watermark to protect the legal ownership and copyrights." and a direct link
on the "Making of..." page:
So far so good.
But than the dark ages were coming:
This year January I received an email that I had to renew my Digimarc
subscription! A Basic Digimarc ID was not for free anymore, was only valid
for a total of 99 images (not annually) and does not link directly to my
homepages anymore.
Wow, that is a big step backwards. I thought Digimarc and I had made a deal
in the past. It is not very polite to change this policy so dramatically.
I understand your company have to make money.
But Digimarc also has to understand that creating first a need for a
customer like me, who earned no money from his publications and making free
advertisements in favor of Digimarc, should not be punished by asking money
and lowering the sevice level.
This is not a very kind and polite way to do business. This is the way
Microsoft is doing business. I did not expect this kind of business from
Digimarc.
In the mean time I do not renew my subscription. Simply because I had a deal
with Digimarc: up to 99 images annually and a link to my website. All for
free.
I hope you will re-think about your new company policies.
With kind regards,
Henk de Jong
The Netherlands
Digimarc Id 471638
Customer Care wrote:
> Dear Henk de Jong,
>
> Your Digimarc ImageBridge subscription account number 471638 has
> expired. The benefits of watermarking your images and the copyright
> communication offered by Digimarc have ended as of today. Please
> disregard this message if you have already renewed your ImageBridge
> subscription.
>
> When your image is viewed and the watermark is read, your contact or
> copyright information will no longer be available for the viewer of
> the image to see. Additionally, if you had our MarcSpider tracking
> service, it no longer reports where your images are found on the
> World Wide Web.
>
> All is not lost though. Please consider renewing your subscription to
> the ImageBridge watermarking service. Your images are to valuable to
> go without the watermarking services offered by Digimarc.
>
> Visit the Digimarc web site at
> , and read about
> the flexible ImageBridge watermarking subscriptions we offer. Then go
> to , and continue to announce the
> ownership of your images to the world.
>
> Cordially,
>
> Digimarc Sales
> helpdesk@digimarc.com
> 877-477-9992
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