This post is to serve as an official, legal warning.
I am truly at a loss for words (which is rare for me).
I was told to write this post almost an entire year ago but I just kept putting it off.
It is something I hate thinking about and it brings up so many emotions for me that I have struggled with how to write this without getting super, super angry.
I try to always deal with issues in a loving way but this situation tests my ability to remain calm and show love.
I have been writing this blog since Aug of 2008 and the first issues I ever had with copyright infringement I blogged about here in a post from June of last year.
Sadly, it didn’t end with that issue. It’s continued and every couple of months I get word that, yet again, there is a fake ME out there in the cyber world.
Basically what is happening is someone is taking my images and using them as their own. Unlike the prior issue, this person isn’t just using my images…they are also claiming to BE ME.
In the past they have gone as far as making Twitter, You Tube (yes, STEALING MY VIDEOS!), Facebook, and even a BLOG. Literally they created a blog and posted my EXACT blog entries, only changing the children’s names.
You can click on all of the pictures posted here to make them bigger so you can read them better 🙂
My blog
Their blog
Thankfully I have some awesome blog readers who keep finding these fake accounts. We all report them but this person just keeps on re-creating them again and again and again.
Posting up hundreds of MY photos on Facebook.
Posing as ME in Mommy Groups and even commenting on people’s photos and creating Mommy Groups where she gives out advice to “fellow moms” under my name!
Some of the groups
Taking the effort to even make photo collages using my images
Commenting on other people’s photos as me:
Whenever this happens I go through the proper channels to report them. Then they get deleted and turn around and almost immediately recreate everything.
I put it out of my mind (as who wants to think about this kind of stuff???) and then time passes and someone brings the impostor to my attention again.
It brings back all my anger and concern about it and I go through all the proper channels to report them and the cycle just keeps on going. Yesterday I became aware of “my” newer Facebook profile:
It’s crazy to me how she calls Kye “Ryder” and Britt “Bryn”
Here is the Facebook group she even created!!!
I mean even her bio talks about Zach and how he works for Aflac!
It is all worrisome for many reasons but I am especially concerned for those people who are her “friends” as they are being misled and who knows what kind of information they are probably sharing with her.
The fact that she comments on people’s accounts AND has pictures up OF ME that others supposedly took of her is very unnerving. It’s like an entire fake Emily Parker world!
The kids and I aren’t the only ones being targeted by this person. At one time there was a fake Zach Parker Facebook page as well.
Just so everyone knows: Zach is NOT on Facebook and will NEVER be on Facebook.
People who KNOW
That is a big deal as who knows the damage that “Zach” could have potentially done to the real Zach’s reputation and business.
I also have received notification that people have been using Zach’s photo to “catfish” people online.
The person who notified me about this was supposedly “dating my husband” and was confessing their relationship to me. Sorry hun, this for SURE ain’t my husband.
Not only would Zach never do such a thing but he’d never call himself “track guy” or say he’s only 6’3″. He is VERY proud of all of his 6’6″ height 🙂
If it was ONLY my photos being used then I can see how someone would find it flattering.
Sure, it’s a compliment that someone admires me that much and that they are claiming my photos are of an
However, this is FAR beyond ANYTHING remotely flattering or complimentary.
STEALING my photos. MY words. MY LIFE is not okay. Using my children and pretending they are yours is NOT OKAY. It’s not just morally and ethically wrong…but it’s also illegal.
I have spent a LOT of time researching all of this and learning about copyright infringement.
I even went as far as calling the US Department of Copyright and spoke to a woman there about this situation.
She said that every single picture I post and every single word I write on this blog are automatically copyright protected. It’s MY intellectual data and copying it is ILLEGAL.
I called our local police department to see what could be done and, shocker, they didn’t even know what blogging was (which was pretty humorous).
I did a lot of calls around town and found a local lawyer who specializes in intellectual property. He told me to write this post.
Let it serve as the WARNING LETTER to STOP using my images, posts, videos, or anything else of MINE. He said I not only have a very strong civil case but I also have a CRIMINAL ONE. It’s fraud, plain and simple.
I also learned in this little adventure that posting stuff on Pinterest is also technically illegal.
The original person who wrote the article, posted the pic, etc can request all pins be removed of their data and the site must comply.
If you use photos and such found on Pinterest (or other sites) it’s also important to give credit to the source!!!
I found lots and lots of cases of people getting sued, fined, and even prosecuted because they didn’t site their sources for stuff. It’s just like school work…site the source or it’s plagiarism!
If you’ve made it this far into this post then you are one of four people:
1. You are the person who continues to do this to me.
To you I say: STOP. This isn’t something that I take lightly.
It’s not something that you can continue to do without having consequences. I know the files are saved on your hard drive.
I know it’s easier to keep uploading MY stuff over and over again than it is to find another person to
When I put the anger aside, I do feel sad for you that this is something you value enough to spend so much time and effort doing. I know I need to let the anger go and just pray for you and that is something I am struggling with.
But when it comes to my children and my family I will do whatever it takes to protect them. Sure, I’m cheap and I hate spending money.
But if that is what it will take for this to stop then I fully intend to press charges.
I have plenty of evidence and know more about you than you are aware
Please do us both a favor and just let all of this be part of your past instead of something that will affect your future.
2. You are someone who is contemplating doing this to me or to someone else.
To
I’m not just blowing smoke when I say that it’s illegal, I mean it. Avoid getting into trouble and don’t even start this kind of sick game.
3. You are someone who KNOWS who is doing this to me.
To
If you are “friends” with the fake “Emily Parker” on Facebook, tell them about this post.
Send them the link. Encourage them to STOP. If you think you are MY friend on Facebook then you are probably friends with the WRONG Emily Parker as I do not accept any “friend” requests from people I don’t know personally.
If you have ANY information about this person PLEASE also SHARE IT WITH ME. Help me and my family out and help this cycle STOP.
You can email me any information you may have to: journeyofphood@gmail.com
4. You are someone who reads my blog and is my friend.
To
Thank you for reporting it when it does happen.
Thank you for standing up for me and for supporting me in these issues. PLEASE don’t stop!
Help me stay on top of this by letting me know anytime you find anything suspicious!!!
Part of the reason this is hard for me to think about is because it makes me doubt this blog and makes me question whether or not it’s appropriate to continue to do.
I know stopping the blog wouldn’t really stop the person who is doing this to me because they do most likely have those images all saved already on their computer.
But am I jeopardizing my children’s safety with this blog? Is it worth the risks? It’s a question I hate contemplating b/c I do love blogging so much.
On the one
On the other
In the past I haven’t ever contacted the fake “Emily Parker” and have just reported everything. This time though I decided to go ahead and write this post.
I also contacted her directly AND posted in ALL of the groups she’s a member of (including the one she started) to let others know that it’s not a real person.
Not only is this a bad situation for ME but who knows the innocent “friends” she has taken advantage of and misled. It’s baffling to me why someone would ever do this and I pray that this is the last time I have to write about it or deal with it.
I pray that it stops and that no other issues arise in the future and that no further legal action has to be taken.
If you are wanting to be MY friend on FB…you can like my blog FB page here and communicate with me through that as I do not accept anyone I don’t know personally on my personal page:
If you have ANY information AT ALL please contact me via that page or through email: journeyofphood@gmail.com
Again, this post serves as an official, legal warning.
My work has been featured on Love What Matters, Today Parenting and Babywise.Life. I'm also honored to be a member of the Babywise Friendly Blog Network.
You can read more about our family on my About Me page. Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
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This SUCKS! Something similar (although not as pervasive) happened to Melissa at Growing Up Geeky. http://www.growingupgeeky.com/2013/01/not-going-to-ask-this-time-people-are.html I've also read other posts like this. It's why I've chosen to keep my blog out of the search engines (as much as one can control that) and relatively small. I can only hope it works.
Why don't you watermark your photos? That is what Kelly's Korner had to do to her children's photos because of a similar situation.
How scary. You can disable the right click function so she can't copy any of the pictures/text of your blog. Good luck and hopefully this will stop. 🙁
Emily, so sorry this is happening. I will never understand why anyone would want to or take the time to do something like this. And creating a fake dating profile?! What the heck! I can only imagine how often it happens. I hope whoever is doing this to your family reads this and realizes you mean business! Get 'em, girl!
That just makes me sick to my stomach that someone is doing that to you. I once had a girl (that I knew!) copy and paste some of my posts word for word on her own blog. The first time I read one of my posts on her blog, my stomach dropped. It's such a gross feeling when you know you've been stolen from – but YOUR case is soo much worse and I really do hope there will be an end to it!
That's disgusting that people actually do this! I'm so glad that you are doing everything that you can to get this person, I use this term person very loosely, to stop!I clicked on the links that you posted and I also reported them to Facebook as a fraud. Hopefully they shut it down immediately!Please don't stop blogging! You are an example and inspiration to many!
Yikes!! I have so many emotions after reading this post. I'm saddened that people can so easily disregard the feelings/privacy of others. I'm confused as to how to take this – like you said, is it the devil's work or is God's hand in this for a reason? It also makes me envious as I wonder, "Who has that much free time!?!?!" More than anything, it makes me worry for OUR (yours, mine, everyone's) babies — are they safe out there in the cyber world??UGH.
For photography, the scene or the set up thought of how to take the photograph, how to represent a subject, and so on can't be copyrighted. Just the work itself can have a programmed non-enrolled copyright security. trademark registration
Luckily, enlistment is both shoddy (particularly contrasted with its potential advantages) and simple.Free classified site