How Kevin Corazza's Actions Will Follow Him Online For a Long, Long Time

Kevin Corazza Stole My Photos and Now is Sueing ME!?!, originally uploaded by kk+.

Well this is just crazy. KK + (Kris Krug), one of my contacts on Flickr, a while back got pissed because another photographer allegedly had taken his shots and published them as his own on Flickr. So he did what any pissed off photographer/blogger might do when someone steals their work and he blogged about it.

Apparently, after blogging about Kevin Corazza stealing his photos, his photos were removed from Kevin's photostream. Mission accomplished, right? Wrong. Now Kris Krug has received a cease and desist letter from Kevin Corazza's attorney's demanding that he take down the blog post.

The problem? Well it would seem to be a two part problem. 1. Kevin Corazza has a unique name and 2. Kris Krug has a little Google juice as a blogger.

So what's happened is that Kris' blog post identifying Kevin as a photo thief is now the top Google search result for Kevin Corazza. And this is likely to follow Kevin around for a long long time. In fact, unless someone else with some Google juice blogs about Kevin Corazza (at least as Google page rank would seem to work today) in a positive way, he's pretty much screwed.

Now on the one hand he probably deserves this. I mean let's see what has allegedly happened here. Kevin Corazza allegedly "borrowed" photos from a few flickr photographers online and presented it as his own work. And has now threatened a blogger with a lawsuit. Kind of a bullshit move.

On the other hand. Kevin's name is now likely permanently identified with this action for anyone who ever Google's his name. His life has probably been made a living hell by the subsequent digg and suggested retaliation at digg over his very stupid cease and desist letter that he just sent. His professional photographer site is now down.

I might chalk this up as a he/said he/said sort of thing except that there is another photographer on Flickr who is also alleging that Kevin Corazza stole her photographs as well. Check out the shot below from glynnish's photostream where she is also alleging that Kevin Corazza has stolen her photos as well, it's (again, allegedly) a screen shot of Kevin Corazza's actual professional web site where he (again, allegedly) is usinger her photos to showcase his fine photographer's eye.

Kevin Corazza stole my photos, originally uploaded by glynnish.

Posted to Flickr under the headline "Kevin Corazza stole my photos.

Although Kevin Corazza's account seems to have deleted from Flickr and his professional website at kevincorazza.com seems to be down, I was able to pull this ironic profile note from his original cached profile on Flickr:

"This flickr account is set up for uploading shots I have taken of bands, events, and any type of activity that’s not included in my main portfolio.

With this being a community site I have had some troubles with people stealing my work and claiming it as theirs under their own name and then trying to cover their own tracks. I have no problems with people using my work, and I don’t need to be credited (I’m a tad bit modest). Just don't post my work under your name.

If you would like to see my portfolio of my normal work, please visit
www.kevincorazza.com."


Kevin Corazza's Flickr Profile Today


Kevin Corazza's Google Cached Flickr Profile

So I guess the moral of this story is to try not to do something unethical, and especially try not to do something unethical to a blogger (and anyone can be a blogger these days), and especially try not to do anything unethical to a blogger if you've got a unique name.

Now there are probably going to be two points of view regarding this situation. The first point of view is going to be that Kevin Corazza is a lying, cheating, bastard who got everything that he deserved. The second point of view is that maybe we ought to have some sympathy for this guy and just because he made one mistake should it haunt him for all time.

And then there will be those that say that this gives bloggers too much power and what if someone was wrongly accused. I suppose my answer here is that if someone is unjustly and unfairly treated in the blogosphere that hopefully other bloggers will recognize this and those with equal Google juice might step in to save the day. And this would be the advice I'd give Kevin or anyone else that felt that they were wronged by Google juice. Find another blogger with juice and tell them your story and how you were wronged. Of course if you weren't wronged you are going to have a hard time finding someone willing to take your cause up.

Of course the worst thing to do to a blogger when you are in the wrong though is to send them a cease and desist letter. This is very likely to backfire on you and end up on the front page of digg as has happened here. This will only draw more attention to what you've done and will only ensure that much more that your actions are highlighted for all the world to see that much longer. Because, you see even if Kris Krug removes the blog post at this point, now Thomas Hawk has also blogged it and a whole host of other bloggers and you can't go after everybody in the world to try and clear your Google name.

Of course changing your name could always be an option too, but what a hassle. If you are a business of course this is easier. Note how quickly PriceRitePhoto was able to dump their name and take on Barclay's Photo.

By the way I did attempt to contact both Kevin Corazza as well as his attorney via email two days ago to see if there was another side to this story and I've not heard back from them. If there is another side to this story though I'm certainly willing to listen.

Thanks for the heads up Johnny Blood!

Update: Someone posting to Flickr as user Kevincor has left the following comment on the cease and desist letter above. Not sure if it's legit or not: "Hi everyone, I just wanted to apologize to everyone for the troubles I have caused. There is no excuse for my actions and I take full responsibility for my actions. I have struggled with coming out to begin with because I was afraid I would be mocked even more, but at this point I need to come clean regardless of those circumstances. If you want to know why I did this, I cannot give you an answer, just the fact that I am young and stupid at the same time. Once again there is no excuse for my actions and I will not make up any more excuses for my actions because there is none to justify my actions as legitimate. I need to make the point that no profit was made on these photos, they were purely for show. Once again I am sorry for the trouble I have caused, and I hope you can accept my apology and move on from here."