JKM Penang Stole My Image

JKM Penang

Wheelchair and Malaysian flag

Do you see any similarity in the two images above? One was screen captured from the Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Pulau Pinang website while the other is an image of a wheelchair that I superimposed against a background of the Jalur Gemilang for an entry that I wrote in 2005 titled Kemerdekaan Untuk Siapa?.

JKM Penang did not seek my permission to use the image. What annoyed me most is that they cropped the image to remove the copyright notice. I would have allowed them to use it had they taken the initiative to just ask and agree to credit me properly.

The United Nations Development Programme – Malaysia (UNDP Malaysia) had wanted to use some of the images from my blog. The images on public transport were for their project on accessible public transport in Penang. They wrote an email to ask for permission which I willingly gave.

It is regrettable that a government agency that deals with the rights of disadvantaged people does not practice similar graciousness. I have sent an email to the Pengarah Kebajikan Masyarakat Negeri Pulau Pinang (Director of Social Welfare for Penang) to request for the image be removed from the website with immediate effect.

Update: April 23, 2009 – 12.26am
The wheelchair image has been replaced with the JKM logo.

JKM Penang

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

8 thoughts on “JKM Penang Stole My Image”

  1. What?! How could JKM even do that?! 😮

    Don’t they know that stealing pictures are a copyright infringement? Or did they think you’d never know it?

    Peter:
    Obviously, the person who designed the website did not know.

  2. awww .. that sucks. being at the top can do anything? … you certainly ought to get the credit over the image.

    Peter:
    They even removed the copyright notice in the original image!

  3. That’s utterly ridiculous. You should seek compensation or at least an apology letter from JKM penang for stealing your pictures.

    Peter:
    That is probably what I should really do but I am only asking them to remove it from their site.

  4. Or publicise this in the newspapers.

    Peter:
    I do not want to escalate the issue so far yet. But thanks for the suggestion.

  5. Did you send them an email, Peter? That would be a start to resolving this copyright infringement.

    Peter:
    Yes, I have sent an email to the Director and they are investigating the matter.

  6. Great. Our government bodies have got the lousiest looking website and now they are stealing from the public… nice work JKM…not!

    Peter:
    It is cheaper and easier to just grab it off the Internet than to take photos and edit it.

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