In this video photographer Jack Reznicki and attorney Ed Greenberg discuss the ins and outs of copyright law
Like I said on the previous page a lot of photographers are under the impression that if they simply watermark their images they are copyright protected. What they fail to realize is that without filing a copyright on their images they have no legal grounds to stand on. Not filing a copyright might sound difficult but, in fact it’s quite easy. I’ve also included a cheat sheet on the next page that outlines your rights.
That is not correct at all unless it has other people in the picture
That is not correct at all unless it has other people in the picture
Jeremy Foster
Jeremy Foster
I don’t sell my stuff so it’s all good
I don’t sell my stuff so it’s all good
NOT FACEBOOK
NOT FACEBOOK
Who owns a picture taken on another persons camera wuth the cameras owner in the photo?
The person who pressed the shutter release button.
Who owns a picture taken on another persons camera wuth the cameras owner in the photo?
The person who pressed the shutter release button.
Steve Brewster
Steve Brewster
Just another example of the govt performing as a mob. “We will protect your images for $35 an image otherwise we will throw out your case”. Money hungry crooks. & federal court is for the mega rich only with their crazy charges for a case to be heard.
Just another example of the govt performing as a mob. “We will protect your images for $35 an image otherwise we will throw out your case”. Money hungry crooks. & federal court is for the mega rich only with their crazy charges for a case to be heard.
Which is why I don’t post many photos as much as I used to do.
Its great to know about copyright laws and how you can protect yourself and your images. But $35 an image? Sounds like another way the government sucks money out of you. If you produce just 10 images in a year that’s $3,500. Isn’t there a way to copyright your images without spending tons of money?
Read the whole article. 75 images can be registered for a single $65 fee.
Old skool math says 10 [email protected] is 350.00.
lol, my bad! Makes me look real smart, huh? multitasking isn’t a good idea. Wow. I can’t believe I put that. O.o
700 images I thought
750 for $65
why pay for something you have spent money on equipement time etc. and everything else to produce the image just to be ripped off to protect your BASIC RIGHT TO OWNERSHIP
My thoughts exactly
Isn’t there an old school way to copyright your images? I can’t remember what it is exactly.
reduce the size of the image , making it difficult to reproduce
I own my photos. End of story
When you export your images out of LR, be sure to check “all metadata”. That way a record follows your images everywhere.
I watermark my photos for advertisement and like Ron said I own my photos.
Watermark ha…PS is a very powerful tool… You Post, You just give photo away.
Jordan Confino
If you have several files of the the stolen image in various crops or stages, it shouldn’t be hard to prove it is yours. You’d think, anyway!
so in other words just pack in taking photographs that you don’t own or stop posting any that you have taken in the past on here or any other sites until the LAW recognises your right to the OWNERSHIP of your DIGITAL IMAGES
Disabling right click on your site is useless; anyone with basic computer knowledge can view source and grab the image.
Hmmm….never thought of that. Or they could just take a screen shot of it.
The laws are different in America than Britain
Why I will not be putting my photos on facebook!
This is why I only post images not worthy of selling on Facebook and keep the really great snaps for sale at my website.
It’s too bad that the implanted info on the photo doesn’t take care of that.
Shoot RAW and post reduced size low quality jpeg, with complete metadata
Great information.
Post only low quality tiny images
Update to my comment, don’t store the RAW files in the cloud
My camera writes its files with my initials embedded on the file names.
Right, but I bet the Copyright and DMCA will have something to say about it. Simply whip it out and go to town.
I don’t put my copyright notice on so I can sue someone. I put it on so it stays with the photo.
Deborah….on FB they belong to FB with copyright or not, when you agree at the beginning of the software.
Until you remove them.
And then their so-called ownership ends.
No. Photos on facebook do not belong to facebook. You’re reading the terms of service wrong. When you post to facebook you grant them a license to use them but you still hold the copyright.
If I shoot it, I own it. Otherwise I don’t shoot it.
Initials in file name means nothing, it can be changed in a snap of your fingers.
Michelle Alksne
Well I have the original RAW files with my intials, and copright embedded in the metadata. And my images are all watermarked low rez. so…… im not worried.
And you can sell everyone of your photos if you choose to do that. If they come after you you have the original and full rights to it.
One option to reduce the usefulness of stolen pictures is to convert them to low-res GIF before uploading them. That will limit their commercial usefulness.
In Canada, the Photographer owns the photo. It is the law.
that’s why I upload an image that CANNOT and WOULD NOT be viable to copy and print…..
I agree- also in Japan as a photograper sued for a lot of money and won
How appropriate that you would call it a “cheat sheet” :).
I have read every word herein posted. Mickey Mouse’s owners have the bucks to send their corporate lawyers after a copyright thief and to take the most reasonable but severe actions in court. The return of the maximum listed herein as $150,000 dollars and other court ordered charges would not likely even pay for the legal fees. The law is rigged intentionally or not making it only possible for the largest firms or extremely wealthy individuals able to file and press charges. Anyone can argue any fine points but this is the one unavoidable basic fact. Another unmentionable is that foreign country individuals or companies pay no attention to the law which applies to the lands where USA law is in effect.
I’ve done this before after speaking with Ed about it. It is an easy process and it’s not $35.00 a photo. I’ve done hundreds at a time for $35.00. The only thing you have to know is how to calculate your upload speed from the total files you are uploading. The governments system has a 60 minute window to upload then it times out and you’re done. I’m not sure what the process is if you do get timed out but I’m betting they make you pay something or the full boat price again. If you have photos that you think aren’t anything special you can continue to post them and gamble that they will not be used by someone advertising that could make you millions if you had it registered. The another alternative is to stop posting anything and you’re sure it will not get used or copied. Another choice would be to only post your snapshots and leave you business photos off the web until the client puts them there and has paid you. I’m not so worried about Johnny Schoolboy getting a hold of a landscape to use with his school project, in fact I’d condone that use if he asks. I am waiting for Nike or Coke or General Mills getting one of my images and using it in their advertising. Man, that would be a pay day finally! They probably aren’t going to use my snapshots from Facebook for their advertising campaign. You’re not getting anything even after a court case from Johnny Schoolboy anyway, you want the big name company to use it wrongfully. Most of the time they know enough to ask if they can find out who to ask so keep that meta-data up to date! Happy Photography!!
The photographer owns the photo. He/she can contract out the publishing rights such as a stock agency.
Many photographers use social media to promote their business. Since some sites like facebook strip the metadata out of an image, the only protection that you may have is to upload a low rez image. Of course people can steal that, but they are limited as what they can do with it.