Photos of my property

[country girl]

In Minnesota, A photographer took 2 photos of our barns and published a barn tour map and she has the photos on her website, both with our name and address along with the photos. She is selling a barn calendar along with the self guided tour. She took the photos from the road but we can clearly tell that she had to enter the property to get the photos from the angles she did. We had no idea that these photos were taken or published with our name and address attached to them. We don't want people driving by our secluded home and we have had people drive in and drive around our turn around, gawking at our home and out buildings. I had a couple of women pull over and tell me they were on a tour of old barns last fall, I had no idea that we were on "the tour" because they asked me for directions. We live out here for privacy and seclusion. We are aghast to see our barns and our names and the address on her webpage. I found it by googleing our name just to see what would come up. No wonder we have had the slow drive byes that make you feel very weird and paranoid as to who they are and what do they want. I have tried to contact her by email from her website and left two phone messages asking her to contact me. I have not received any response from her. I just said it was about her calendar and tour map. Do we have any rights, we are very concerned about this and our safety from this publishing?

 

[Zigner]

The information is publicly available...

 

[STEPHAN]

Start selling coffee and cake!

 

[LdiJ]

The information is publicly available...

While I agree, there is quite a bit of difference between someone being able to find out who owns the barns, and someone publishing that name and address on a barn tour.

 

[Zigner]

While I agree, there is quite a bit of difference between someone being able to find out who owns the barns, and someone publishing that name and address on a barn tour.

To be clear - are you speaking from a moral perspective or a legal perspective?

 

[FlyingRon]

The photos of the barn belong to the photographer. Presumably they were taken from a public place, they're free to commercialize on them.
Your address is not protectable.

Your name might well be.

 

[TigerD]

How secluded? Is it a private road?

TD

 

[LdiJ]

To be clear - are you speaking from a moral perspective or a legal perspective?

I am speaking from a legal perspective. Yes, its possible to find out the name and address of the owner of a parcel if you have the address or parcel number. However, again, that is very different than publishing the name and address, without permission, for a barn tour, causing lots of people to violate the privacy of the owner.

 

[Zigner]

I am speaking from a legal perspective. Yes, its possible to find out the name and address of the owner of a parcel if you have the address or parcel number. However, again, that is very different than publishing the name and address, without permission, for a barn tour, causing lots of people to violate the privacy of the owner.

Do you have state-specific law or case citations to show that publishing this information is, in fact, unlawful or a violation of privacy?

 

[LdiJ]

Do you have state-specific law or case citations to show that publishing this information is, in fact, unlawful or a violation of privacy?

No I do not, and I do not have time to go and try to find something. I think its pretty basic from a legal perspective however. Think about it?

 

[Zigner]

No I do not, and I do not have time to go and try to find something. I think its pretty basic from a legal perspective however. Think about it?

I have - and I don't think it's so basic. I think that statute or case law would be needed in order to support the position that the publication of public (ie: not private) information is against the law.

 

[LdiJ]

I have - and I don't think it's so basic. I think that statute or case law would be needed in order to support the position that the publication of public (ie: not private) information is against the law.

There is a difference between "against the law" and violating someone's privacy. "Against the law" would be implying something potentially criminal in nature, violating someone's privacy could be a civil matter with different standards. These people moved out into the country because they valued seclusion and privacy. They no longer have that thanks to these people.

The OP should at least get a consult with a local attorney.

 

[Zigner]

There is a difference between "against the law" and violating someone's privacy. "Against the law" would be implying something potentially criminal in nature, violating someone's privacy could be a civil matter with different standards. These people moved out into the country because they valued seclusion and privacy. They no longer have that thanks to these people.

The OP should at least get a consult with a local attorney.

That's why I asked for case-law

I agree about the attorney - it can't hurt.

 

[country girl]

Thank you

Thank you for all the different perspectives.
To answer the question about our road, this is a public dirt road in the country. I am sure she will claim to have taken it from the road, but like I said you can tell she had to enter the drive about 75 ft to clear the evergreen trees and take the photos at the angle that she did. It is the name and address along with the identifiable buildings on her website that makes me uncomfortable.
I know that our name is on public information as home owners, but to have it on a tour map and on a website seems like it would target it us unnecessarily. Since we did not generate it or profit by it like she is. I was just hoping we would have some legal right to ask her to take us off her webpage and the tour map. If you think I have a prayer, I would contact a local attorney.
Thanks for your opinions

 

[quincy]

Here is a link to Boring v. Google, an invasion of privacy suit over the street view map of the Boring's private property:

http://www2.ca3.uscourts.gov/opinarch/092350np.pdf