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copyright

ems82
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:09 Link
hello how do you copyright your images i have been watermarking mine but obviously it ruins the image im trying to get my website up and running and dont want any tom dick or arry just stealing the photos any advice please
thankyou
Emma
"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." Aaron Siskind
Bodies K20D, LTL 3, K1000d
Lenses Pentax 50mm, Pentax 135mm, Tamron 70-300 macro
johnriley
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:12 Link
In the UK you automatically own the copyright to your images and you don't have to do anything.
Best regards, John
ems82
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:17 Link
ah thats a relief been hearing horror stories of people setting up there own websites the people steal them and sell on etc
Emma
"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." Aaron Siskind
Bodies K20D, LTL 3, K1000d
Lenses Pentax 50mm, Pentax 135mm, Tamron 70-300 macro
johnriley
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:18 Link
Unfortunately people will still steal our images, but if they get caught then action can be taken. However, the web is a big place and theft can be difficult to spot.
Best regards, John
paullucas
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:33 Link
When you upload yr images onto yr website, make sure the res is low enough so if they do copy they won't get more than a 6x4 print, if that.

I put my business name all over the image, yes it can be cloned out but thats time consuming and pointless due to the size.
My website runs on Flash so its harder to copy the photo itself. Granted you can "print screen" but what's that going to achieve.

I will not use programs such as Flickr for any of my shots as that is asking for trouble. I'm talking about business use here so that won't apply to most people.
Just put yr copyright over the images you treasure the most.

As soon as your images are uploaded to the internet they are under threat of being copied. It's entirely up to you on how well you protect them!


Paul
Gwyn
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:51 Link
If you use Photoshop Elements you can add a copyright notice to the Exif when you import your photos into Elements Organiser. I am sure the same thing is available in Lightroom and Bridge. Make sure that you retain the EXIF on any photo you put on your website - you can often specify which parts of the Exif data you want available, certainly when using the likes of Jalbum you can do that.
Only put low resolution photos online.

I suspect actually the chances of a photo being stolen from a website are very small given the vast number of photos available on the internet.

Most companies for instance will not want to get into legal trouble and will use a stock photo site for their images.

I have known a photo to be stolen by a shop when given some images to print, but that too is extremely rare.
ems82
Posted 07/08/2009 - 12:51 Link
ok thankyou paul food for thought
Emma
"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." Aaron Siskind
Bodies K20D, LTL 3, K1000d
Lenses Pentax 50mm, Pentax 135mm, Tamron 70-300 macro
paullucas
Posted 07/08/2009 - 14:04 Link
Gwyn, it's not so much the companies. It's more the individual surfer.

Google Images, even though it's a fantastic site, is a pain in the backside. If you search for a certain thing sometimes your image appears somewhere on there, I know mine do.

It's a higher chance of getting your images stolen than you think. It is just common practice to protect your images as much as you can.
I have had people on this website say that the placing of my copyright over my images spoils the shot. I have always replied that they are my shots and I will protect them, (that could be read as rude but I certainly don't mean it to be).

Paul
titchgamer
Posted 07/08/2009 - 14:29 Link
Ime the same as paul on this one, Use low res images where requierd but all my main photos are in flash.

Unfortunatly there is no real way of stopping people robbing your photos however you can make it as hard as possible for them!

Low res images stop people from enlargeing the photo and if you have it low enough it will print out crappy to.

Flash as paul has allready stated makes it alot harder to actually take the image in a first place and doing a screen sump will give the same effect as a low res image.

So yer low DPI and flash are the ways to go

Oh and I watermark mine as well just to be sure
Lil Andy

K20D, PENTAX DA 18-55, TAMRON DI 70-300, PENTAX SMC-K 135 f2.5

www.ajohnson-photography.co.uk
thoughton
Posted 07/08/2009 - 15:40 Link
From a practical point of view, I wouldn't even worry about it, it'll just give you headaches - spend your time thinking about pleasant things instead

From a legal point of view it's copyright infringement which is a civil offence. It isn't stealing (a criminal offence).

From a financial point of view, the people who WILL take a copy of your photo would never have bought it in the first place, so what are you losing? Absolutely nothing, so don't sweat it

If they DO somehow end up using it for financial gain (extremely unlikely!), then you hit them with an invoice. That's what Corbis and the big boys do.
Tim
AF - Pentax K5, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sigma 70-200/2.8, Tamron 70-300/4-5.6
MF - Vivitar CF 28/2.8, Tamron AD2 90/2.5, MTO 1000/11
Stuff - Metz 58 AF1, Cactus v4, Nikon SB24, Raynox 150, Sigma 1.4x TC, Sigma 2x TC, Kenko 2x macro TC, Redsnapper 283 tripod, iMac 27”, Macbook Pro 17”, iPad, iPhone 3G
FlickrFluidrPPGStreetPortfolio site
Feel free to edit any of my posted photos! If I post a photo for critique, I want brutal honesty. If you don't like it, please say so and tell me why!
Edited by thoughton: 07/08/2009 - 15:42
pentaxian450
Posted 07/08/2009 - 15:57 Link
There are some software designed to track your pictures, but they cost...
Yves (another one of those crazy Canucks)
paullucas
Posted 07/08/2009 - 16:41 Link
thoughton wrote:
From a practical point of view, I wouldn't even worry about it, it'll just give you headaches - spend your time thinking about pleasant things instead


From a financial point of view, the people who WILL take a copy of your photo would never have bought it in the first place, so what are you losing? Absolutely nothing, so don't sweat it

Really don't agree with this comment, sorry.

I don't want some toe rag "stealing" my hard work. So I will continue to protect my images as much as I can as photography is my living. Even those who do it as a hobby don't really want their shots used and abused.

I am protecting my photos as much as I can from anyone, especially from those who are to tight to pay for them.

I'm not sure if Emma plans to make money from her photos but I don't think she would want to sit back and let low life nick her stuff.

By the way, Tim, this isn't meant as a personal dig. I'm just stating my views and when it comes to copyright, well they are quite strong.


Paul
thoughton
Posted 07/08/2009 - 18:10 Link
paullucas wrote:
By the way, Tim, this isn't meant as a personal dig. I'm just stating my views and when it comes to copyright, well they are quite strong.


Paul

Again, don't sweat it at all I spend about 50 hours a week on the internet (web development) so as a result I have developed a nice thick epidermis. What you've written is extremely civil and polite compared to some other forums I frequent

Just walked through door, so will post a more considered response to the image protection issue soon.
Tim
AF - Pentax K5, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sigma 70-200/2.8, Tamron 70-300/4-5.6
MF - Vivitar CF 28/2.8, Tamron AD2 90/2.5, MTO 1000/11
Stuff - Metz 58 AF1, Cactus v4, Nikon SB24, Raynox 150, Sigma 1.4x TC, Sigma 2x TC, Kenko 2x macro TC, Redsnapper 283 tripod, iMac 27”, Macbook Pro 17”, iPad, iPhone 3G
FlickrFluidrPPGStreetPortfolio site
Feel free to edit any of my posted photos! If I post a photo for critique, I want brutal honesty. If you don't like it, please say so and tell me why!
Edited by thoughton: 07/08/2009 - 18:18
ems82
Posted 07/08/2009 - 18:44 Link
hello against your advice i have deleted my flickr account might re do once i watermark images which ive just learnt how to do but i just tried googling my flickr name and all my images come up on there
Emma
"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." Aaron Siskind
Bodies K20D, LTL 3, K1000d
Lenses Pentax 50mm, Pentax 135mm, Tamron 70-300 macro
thoughton
Posted 07/08/2009 - 18:58 Link
Okay, had some time ruminate!

All I'm saying that in my experience is that it's not beneficial to severely watermark all your images. Not solely for the time it takes, but also for the effect it has on your desired audience.

My argument is that if we watermark our images, and do it in such a way that the watermark cannot simply be cropped out, it severely impacts the beauty of the image. And why do we do this? Simply to stop some scumbag from using the image without permission.

What we should do (in my personal opinion, of course) is weigh up the pros and cons. Watermarking spoils the image for many people (hundreds? thousands? more?) who view the image simply to appreciate it. At the same time it prevents the scumbag (or scumbags) from using the image without permission. But what is the benefit of preventing the scumbag from using the image? I can't think of any likely answer to that, except perhaps that (preemptive) vengeance is satisfying.

As to strong feelings about copyright, I think we all have them, especially when it's our own copyright being violated. However I still think there are degrees to this. Some copyrights are good and proper. Others are completely shambolic, for instance the 2003 copyright which legally prohibits tourists from photographing the Eiffel Tower at night.

I should add that I am most definitely not interested in starting a flame war, however I do find this topic interesting. I should also add that I don't actually consider people who download images from Google images to be scumbags, it's just nasty ones who try to resell, or pass off as their own, etc.

PS Emma what you see on Google is the cached version of your images. They'll disappear after a while (usually a few days or weeks) once Google discovers that your Flickr page is gone. You should note however that any images you post anywhere (including this forum) will find their way into Google Images (and all the other countless image search engines) eventually.
Tim
AF - Pentax K5, Sigma 10-20/4-5.6, Tamron 17-50/2.8, Sigma 30/1.4, Sigma 70-200/2.8, Tamron 70-300/4-5.6
MF - Vivitar CF 28/2.8, Tamron AD2 90/2.5, MTO 1000/11
Stuff - Metz 58 AF1, Cactus v4, Nikon SB24, Raynox 150, Sigma 1.4x TC, Sigma 2x TC, Kenko 2x macro TC, Redsnapper 283 tripod, iMac 27”, Macbook Pro 17”, iPad, iPhone 3G
FlickrFluidrPPGStreetPortfolio site
Feel free to edit any of my posted photos! If I post a photo for critique, I want brutal honesty. If you don't like it, please say so and tell me why!
Edited by thoughton: 07/08/2009 - 19:11

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