Takuya Morihisa, a nature photographer living in Japan, spoke to us about his experiences with the COPY-IDENT system after winning several cases. His speciality is in aquatic animals and organisms. Many of his photographs are provided to guide books.
Hi Takuya Morihisa, it’s a great honor for us to interview you today and we’re happy you’ve found some time for us.
First of all, could you tell our readers, how you got into photography ?
When I was in high school, my uncle, who was a photographer, gave me a camera and I started taking pictures.
Your speciality is in aquatic organisms – how did you decide on making this your profession ?
I have a favorite illustrated fish book that I read until it was in tatters in high school. I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with the author when I was in college and he gave me some guidance on photography. I was inspired to make a career out of it after selling my photos in an illustrated fish book published by my mentor. I take scientific photos at work, but recently I’ve been taking photos using UV as a light source. This is a new challenge that incorporates my main interest in the natural sciences and the artistry that goes with it.
How did you become aware of COPY-IDENT service ?
I found COPY-IDENT after I saw a tweet on Twitter about this amazing service.
When was the first time you found a copyright infringement of your work ?
I don’t remember it clearly, but I think it was around 2014. It was an email from a friend who informed me that my photo was being used without permission.
How do you find working with our system ?
I don’t mean to be rude, but I had an image that this kind of service looks good only on the surface, and when you start to use it, they charge you money. However, when you use COPY-IDENT, the author doesn’t have to go through any hassle, and COPY-IDENT will take care of the whole process for you. I was thrilled to find a great partner who was willing to help me with the things that had been bothering me so much in the past at no risk to me. Also what I find great about COPY-IDENT is that the staff who processed each case and the staff who wrote the comments are visible. Although the process of collecting license fees for each case proceeds automatically, I feel a sense of trust as a partner because we can see how and who is involved in the process.
More about Takuya Morihisa:
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1979. After graduating from Shimane University, he worked for a research company, as photo studio manager in Toronto, Canada, and as mineral buyer before becoming a freelance photographer. He specializes in aquatic organisms. He is a member of Society of scientific photography (SSP).
More about Takuya Morihisa on his website and on his Instagram profile.
