Toyota backpedals?
Submitted
by
Hillview
Hillview writes "Following Soulskill's article- Toyota demands removal of fan wallpapers , I couldn't help myself. I sent an inquiring email to the "Ask Toyota" address on their website, mostly asking why they'd want to shoot themselves in the foot.. or harass their own free advertising. I've attached what appears to be an attempt at damage control from the PR folks at Toyota, and admitting their mistake.. the response to my email directly from toyota_cares@toyota.com below:
Thank you for contacting Toyota with your comments and concerns regarding the use of vehicle images. The letter asking the DesktopNexus site to remove all images featuring a Toyota, Scion or Lexus vehicle was the result of miscommunication at Toyota, which we regret.
Copyright law protects the creative work product of artists, photographers, and other creators. Toyota respects these rights, including those of photographers who work with Toyota. Toyota purchases the rights to the images it posts on its sites, and welcomes public use of those images where we have the rights to give. However, this permission is limited to editorial or personal use, not commercial use, such as advertising any products or services. That's because the photographers — not Toyota — retain the rights to any commercial use, and we cannot give permission to use those images for that purpose. In response to the concerns raised by DesktopNexus, Toyota is working with photographers to determine what images may be used for noncommercial purposes, and what we can do to provide broader access. We hope you will understand and appreciate the legal constraints we face.
Toyota also welcomes interested members of the public to use their own images or photography of Toyota's vehicles, and we confirm that we have no objection to this use.
We appreciate your interest in our products.
Toyota Customer Experience "
Thank you for contacting Toyota with your comments and concerns regarding the use of vehicle images. The letter asking the DesktopNexus site to remove all images featuring a Toyota, Scion or Lexus vehicle was the result of miscommunication at Toyota, which we regret.
Copyright law protects the creative work product of artists, photographers, and other creators. Toyota respects these rights, including those of photographers who work with Toyota. Toyota purchases the rights to the images it posts on its sites, and welcomes public use of those images where we have the rights to give. However, this permission is limited to editorial or personal use, not commercial use, such as advertising any products or services. That's because the photographers — not Toyota — retain the rights to any commercial use, and we cannot give permission to use those images for that purpose. In response to the concerns raised by DesktopNexus, Toyota is working with photographers to determine what images may be used for noncommercial purposes, and what we can do to provide broader access. We hope you will understand and appreciate the legal constraints we face.
Toyota also welcomes interested members of the public to use their own images or photography of Toyota's vehicles, and we confirm that we have no objection to this use.
We appreciate your interest in our products.
Toyota Customer Experience "
