Stock photographers set up scenes that can be used in advertising and put the images on stock photo sites such as iStock or Shutterstock. The stock photo sites market the photos on the internet and pay the photographers.

Google has now set up a system that allows anybody with a computer to grab the images and use them for free. It the new version of Google Image Search. This is the link "Images" on Google .com.

The scam works like this: Google saves image files in its database. In response to a search query such as "medical consultation" it displays the images on its own page. This was all OK as long as Google was displaying tiny thumbnail versions of the images. Buyers could follow a link to the stock site and pay for use. But in the last week it has been displaying the images in large sizes at resolutions that permit them to be used in advertising. People simply drag the full-size images onto their desktop and use them for free. The photographer does not get paid. Revenues are already way down.

This is a violation of US copyright law, which allows the copyright holder the right to control display:
http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/scope.html#display .
This does not fall under fair use, which is what allowed Google to display thumbnails.

Back when web designers used framesets, it was a big no-no to display the content of another site in one of your own frames, for precisely this reason.

Where are the Feds who pursued Aaron Swartz so vigorously? Big people vs little people. Google is very big.