Are pictures of my toddler protected? (Oregon) : legaladvice

Authored by old.reddit.com and submitted by raspberryseltzer

My brother took a picture of my two-year-old and shared it to my mother's page last week. I was generally fine with that, but still worried since my mother has no personal or social boundaries. I commented on the post, requesting that she not use my son's photo on her website or in any of the books she publishes on Amazon (for profit). Her response was that as the child's grandmother, she would do whatever she wanted. In case it matters, her Facebook profile is set to public.

Yesterday she published a book on Amazon with my son's photo in it. The photo she used is one I texted her last month of me with my son. It's also posted on my private Facebook page, but is not my profile picture or cover photo. She published my name but did not give my son's name or our location. She did give her address (Oregon) in the book, but my son and I are located in Texas.

Aside from the ethical and moral viewpoints, is there anything illegal about her actions?

I'd rather not officially involve a lawyer if I don't have to.

EDIT: I took the picture with my phone and texted it to her. She did not use the one my brother gave her on Facebook.

SECOND EDIT: Lots of harsh judgments on here and at r/BOLA. To be clear, I have no intention or desire to sue my mother. Even if I did want to, she has no money. Also, her books are bizarre, have no credibility, and are read by a very small audience. It's more a matter of making her stop before she tries this again in a manner that draws more attention to my son. I'm trying to stop this before it gets worse. Obviously I'm not going to send her any more pictures of him until she gets the point, or possibly ever, but I can't undo the number of pictures I've given her already.

TooOldForThis--- on October 20th, 2018 at 14:28 UTC »

She would never see another picture of my kid after this. Or the kid.

BishmillahPlease on October 20th, 2018 at 13:33 UTC »

What is it about these people who think that grandparent trumps parent?

LocationBot on October 20th, 2018 at 12:49 UTC »

Title: Are pictures of my toddler protected? (Oregon)

Original Post:

My brother took a picture of my two-year-old and shared it to my mother's page last week. I was generally fine with that, but still worried since my mother has no personal or social boundaries. I commented on the post, requesting that she not use my son's photo on her website or in any of the books she publishes on Amazon (for profit). Her response was that as the child's grandmother, she would do whatever she wanted. In case it matters, her Facebook profile is set to public.

Yesterday she published a book on Amazon with my son's photo in it. The photo she used is one I texted her last month of me with my son. It's also posted on my private Facebook page, but is not my profile picture or cover photo. She published my name but did not give my son's name or our location. She did give her address (Oregon) in the book, but my son and I are located in Texas.

Aside from the ethical and moral viewpoints, is there anything illegal about her actions?

I'd rather not officially involve a lawyer if I don't have to.

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