Are photos and postings on Facebook (and social media) personal property?

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

If photos are personal property, then why does Facebook allow a 'Share' button?

Briton Anton Casey’s lawyer writes to TR Emeritus

January 21st, 2014 | Author: Editorial

STOMP published Casey's story on 20 January 2014 before taking it down for unknown reasons.

A Briton, Anton Casey, posted a couple of Facebook photos and messages which went viral yesterday (‘Briton belittles people taking public transport‘, 20 Jan).
Mr Casey apparently was compelled to take public transportation with his son after his Porsche was sent to the workshop. He then posted a picture of his son sitting in an MRT train with the following caption on Facebook:Daddy where is your car & who are all these poor people?
Later he posted another picture of his son sitting in his Porsche after he had got it back from the workshop. The picture carried this message:Ahhhhhhhh reunited with my baby. Normal service can resume, once I have washed the stench of public transport off me FFS!
With regard to the above matter, Mr Casey has instructed his lawyer to write to TR Emeritus (TRE) today (21 Jan), requesting TRE to take down the 2 Facebook pictures.
His lawyer said that the pictures are Casey’s personal property and they had been taken from his Facebook account without his permission. Apparently, Mr Casey has also made a police report against threats to harm his family:Dear Sirs
I have been instructed by my client to write to you to lodge a complaint that quite a few of his private pictures on his personal facebook account were uploaded onto your website on your Editorial bearing the caption :
“BRITION BELITTLES PEOPLE TAKING PUBLIC TRANSPORT”
Please assist to remove the pictures which are his personal properties and which have been taken off his facebook account without his permission. There are copyrights infringement issues.
Please help as our client is trying to quell the matter which has been blown out of all proportions.
There has also been threats to harm my client, his wife and young son, which is now the subject matter of a police report.
Your kind assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Yours faithfully
WILLIAM POH
WILLIAM POH & LOUIS LIM
186 Toa Payoh Central #02-426
Singapore 310186
TRE respects the copyrights of others. Hence, we have taken down the 2 pictures in the article, ‘Briton belittles people taking public transport‘.
As Mr Casey’s lawyer said the matter has been “blown out of all proportions”, TRE has offered Mr Casey a chance to give his side of the story i.e. to clarify the 2 offensive Facebook messages he had posted earlier:Daddy where is your car & who are all these poor people?
Ahhhhhhhh reunited with my baby. Normal service can resume, once I have washed the stench of public transport off me FFS!
TRE promises to publish Mr Casey’s clarification unedited and in full. However, Mr Casey has not indicated if he will take up our offer to explain himself.



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