Aussie influencer calls out a brand she says photoshopped their product into her photos.

February 21, 2017

Video by Mamamia

An Aussie influencer has called out a brand on Twitter for allegedly photoshopping their products into her photos before sharing them on their own social media accounts.

Law graduate, YouTuber and founder of Slinkii Athletic Pia Muehlenbeck, who has almost two million followers on Instagram, made the claims about SkinnyMint TeaTox on Twitter this morning.

???????? Had a super healthy Australia Day filled with yoga, running and my @womensbest ???? #womensbest #europeBodyComing

A post shared by Pia Muehlenbeck ???????????????? (@piamuehlenbeck) on Jan 26, 2017 at 3:57am PST

“@SkinnyMintCom are illegally stealing my photos and photoshopping their products in to my photos. Anyone have any advice on this matter,” she tweeted.

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She then shared pictures of the original photos which do not feature packs of the brand’s detox tea which appear clearly visible in images shared on their Instagram account.

Here’s another photo that @SkinnyMintCom have stolen and photoshopped (very badly) their tea in to place. pic.twitter.com/CyQIOQI8ha

— Pia Muehlenbeck (@piamuehlenbeck) February 20, 2017

Stolen photo with @SkinnyMintCom product photoshopped in to place. Obviously fake. pic.twitter.com/e8Jtv3vg3Q

— Pia Muehlenbeck (@piamuehlenbeck) February 20, 2017

Original photo pic.twitter.com/rCF8kNg1hN

— Pia Muehlenbeck (@piamuehlenbeck) February 20, 2017

She said she wanted to call them out in her Instagram stories to her 1.7 million followers but was reluctant to give them more publicity.

“Unfortunately, they would probably actually get more sales if I made this IP theft more public,” she tweeted.

“Imagine if I started photoshopping SLINKII yoga pants on to girls wearing other brands. ???? Such a stupid business choice.”

Was so sunny, couldn’t open my eyes ???????????? wearing @samiswim_ ????

A post shared by Pia Muehlenbeck ???????????????? (@piamuehlenbeck) on Feb 9, 2017 at 2:52am PST

Muehlenbeck told Mamamia, she discovered her images were being used after a follower in Germany messaged her about it.

“One photo they reposted without my permission was actually for another drink brand, so not only did they steal my photo, but that photo was paid for by their competitors,” she said.

“The second photo in the bathroom was actually from a travel collaboration with Mazda. If I didn’t have good relationships with these brands it could do some real damage if they saw it and thought I was ‘double selling’ my content.”

Unsurprisingly, she finds it very frustrating – especially when her images are used to make it look like she endorses a product she doesn’t agree with.

“I do make an income from taking photos and endorsing products via social media so this sort of business is just a little shady,” she says.

“But way more concerning is the effect this can have on my audience. For example, I’m regularly re-posted on pages that sell Waist Trainers. I never have used one, and to be honest from my (small amount of) research, they don’t particularly look healthy.

????What an amazing adventure! ???? I can’t wait for you to see the video of our week at @yourparadisefiji ???? Video will be live tomorrow! ☀️

A post shared by Pia Muehlenbeck ???????????????? (@piamuehlenbeck) on Dec 18, 2016 at 2:04am PST

“I’d hate for girls to be purchasing these items thinking “That’s how Pia stays in shape…” when I don’t. I’ve always made an effort to try to message back every girl who message me questions, so thankfully I’m able to clear things up whenever they arise.”

Mamamia reached out for comment from SkinyMint TeaTox who issued a statement saying they were inspired by Sugar Bear Hair’s Instagram.

“They use a lot of photoshopped images to create some interesting content. So were tried this too. The image was on our page for a few weeks and we saw Pia’s comment and deleted the image,” it read.

“We are sorry, we didn’t properly think through the consequences. We were inspired by Sugar bear hair who is photoshopping images and getting a lot of positive feedback. Obviously it didn’t work for us due to the images we used and the content owner not approving it.”

Muehlenbeck’s followers responded with support, with several other influencers including Gabby Epstein and beauty YouTuber Chloe Morello also expressing their surprise.

What! That is so dodgy! https://t.co/9oLvbmQYAv

— Chloe (@ChloeMorello) February 20, 2017

Muehlenbeck said this was the first time this had happened to her, however a look at the brand’s Instagram page suggests that she might not be the only case.

A few months ago, the brand reposted a picture from model and swimwear designer Renee Somerfield, who has 1.5 million Instagram followers.

Soaking up the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef ????@tourismportdouglas @portdouglasmagazine Wearing @somerfieldswim

A post shared by RENEE SOMERFIELD (@reneesomerfield) on Oct 19, 2016 at 3:47am PDT

Last week, they shared the image again although this time a packet of their tea appears in the image next to Somerfield.

#boatlife Double tap to take you there ???????? Follow @skinnymintcom

A post shared by SkinnyMint Teatox | Detox Tea (@skinnymintcom) on Feb 10, 2017 at 3:57pm PST

Muehlenbeck has since been tagged in this photo with the comment, “It looks like you’re not the only one they’re doing it to.”

The world of intellectual property on social media is a murky one.

The stealing of images from influencers without their permission is reportedly growing at an increasing rate as users and brands look to tap into their huge numbers of followers.

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In Muehlenbeck’s case, not only have her images been stolen without her permission but she’s also being portrayed as endorsing a product she has not agreed to. With influencers often commanding a hefty fee to feature products and brands on their social media because their followers trust their recommendations, this is concerning.

“Ultimately it’s annoying, but I’ll survive! I think social influencer generated video content is going to become more popular than photo based content for brands this year, and I suspect we’ll see a shift in sponsored posts towards video, which can’t easily be reposted and palmed off as advertising another product,” she told Mamamia.

The next few vlogs are going to blow you away! Look at this place! ???????????? @theluxenomad #theluxenomad #sixsenseslaamu ????

A post shared by Pia Muehlenbeck ???????????????? (@piamuehlenbeck) on Nov 22, 2016 at 10:06am PST

“Clients that booked me last year for photos, are already now booking me for YouTube videos instead this year. Perhaps that’s the trend that will stop this sort of content theft.”

If this does happen to you, blogger David Sandel advises filling in an Intellectual Property Theft claim on Instagram rather than reporting the image as spam, as this doesn’t necessarily mean the picture will be removed.

“Just like a company defending a patent, brand managers, and those managing their personal brands, need to defend their own intellectual property from being stolen and copycats,” he wrote last month.