If you have taken either the Listing in Flexmls or the Rules course with ARMLS, then you know copying other agents’ photos from a previous listing is a violation at ARMLS (See Rule 8.23). Not only is it a violation, but copying photos could lead to copyright infringement, since the pictures themselves are the property of the listing brokerage.
So, what do you do if you find photos from your previous listing are attached to a new listing with another brokerage? The first thing you can do is speak to the listing agent who copied photos without permission. Oftentimes the situation can be resolved with this one step. Option two is to report it to Data Integrity (DI) by using the Report an Error button in Flexmls.
Report an Error in Flexmls
You will first need to have a listing selected to report an error. Click Report an Error in the top right corner. A drop-down menu will prompt you to choose a category, along with a text box to type in a description of the error.
Data Integrity will receive this report and investigate. If a violation is found, DI will contact the listing agent. This process is confidential and the listing agent in question will not know who reported the error.
If you have questions or need clarification on a rule, you can call Data Integrity directly at 480-921-7777 .
Please note, if a photographer produced the media, another individual may be able to purchase the copyright and use the media. If so, permission from the previous listing agent/brokerage would not be required.
To learn more about copyright infringement of your materials, see The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) policy.