I am writing to provide an update on my previous post about the bread proofer merchant, "cozy bread," who had stolen my photos to create their own Instagram reel in October.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Sourdough/s/XIQzTk1BIx
After reaching out to them, the reel was removed. They responded that using my photos without my approval was never their intention. They further claimed that their posts were not for advertising purposes and their goal was to add value to the baking community by sharing guides to support fellow bakers.
Later on, I have discovered that they have changed their Instagram profile from "home goods store" to "education" and are continuing to use photos from the internet for their content. Attached is evidence from Google Images.
I have filed a claim against them in small claims court. They blocked my account again. Today we had a remote mediation hearing. I am unable to disclose the mediation details due to confidentiality, but a trial date has been set.
As a home baker, it may be difficult for me to establish monetary damages, but my main goal is to make a point. If they truly want to add value to the community, they should take their own photos or conduct their own experiments instead of stealing from the internet. Images are copyrighted and belong to the photographer.
Pretending to be an educational institution does not give them the right to steal others’ intellectual property. It is clear that their ultimate goal is to sell their proofing mats, rather than support the baking community.
If you agree with me, please help by reporting their Instagram accounts/posts. As they have blocked me and I am just one person. Thank you.
Their Instagram
http://instagram.com/cozy__bread/
by No_Nefariousness_364
9 Comments
Please let us know how things turn out. Rooting for you!
Worse crimes have been committed
Better start to write that invoice for the licensing fees. Only money hurts, pleas will be ignored.
Unless you have monetary damages the case will likely be thrown out. Best of luck.
Do you think small claims court is a bit extreme?
I don’t care if you’re owed $5, I want you to get it. Copyrighting photos is simple- at least the application is, but if you don’t want to do it, always crop your photos and never upload full resolution and DMCA will be simple because only you will have the original
What do you recommend I select for my reason for reporting? I was going to select “pretending to be someone else” but then it asks for specifics
We got people complaining over bread in 2025 🥴🤦🏾♂️
Hey videographer/ photographer here. It sounds like you might be beyond this since you’ve already taken them to small claims. But, this is what I would have done. Determine exactly how many images they stole from you. Write and send them an invoice for licensing the images. I’d have charged $100 per image for a two year term or something like that but ultimately the amount is arbitrary as long as it’s within reason. Then tell them they can pay you or remove the images. It doesn’t matter if they weren’t using your images for advertising purposes, they are your copyrighted images and you didn’t give them permission to use them.