Copyrights

[abhijnanm]

Hi all.Recently I went on roadtrip by myself on my bike. After covering a total of 992 kms I have taken almost 650 odd photos. I've selected some 200 odd ones to showcase. These photos i would like to sell also in the future if it's good enough. Now my concern is although I've put up my copyright in all of them but how safe are they to be posted on a social networking site (Like facebook or flikr). What should i do so it is not copied. I really wanna put it up so i can get some comments from the stalwarts of this site as well. Kindly help.

Thank you

[fletch]

If you use these sites (or any site on the web, even your own) there is nothing you can do to guarantee they won't get coppied. You can do a few things to make it less likely though. Only post low resolution coppies to the net, 800 pixels on the longest side is enough. Use a small descreet watermark, don't go for the plaster it all over option or people won't be able to enjoy your photos.

[digirebelva]

use a semi-transparent copyright notice on the image, and as was already said keep the quality down..

[ARKreations]

And if you really want to cover all bases, register your copyright for the images.
If you do that, you have a lot of legal muscle to enforce any copyright infringement suits you might have to file.

[arc.siddharth]

is this valid to keep the copyright logo on the image without having registered with any authority?

[fletch]

Originally Posted by arc.siddharth

is this valid to keep the copyright logo on the image without having registered with any authority?

Yep - Copyright is implied once you press the shutter. Registering is just to make sure you can claim damages in the event someone steals the picture and an easy way of identifying that you indeed do have the copyright.

[dcclark]

As a general rule, in the US, as soon as you create the image, you own the copyright.

If you do NOT register the copyright, then you are mostly limited to suing for actual money lost, if someone else steals and sells it.

If you DO register the copyright, you can also sue for punitive (i.e. extra) damages. This is usually a lot more.

These are generalities, but it shows why registering can be good -- but also why you don't HAVE to. You're protected either way.

[abhijnanm]

Thank you all. The lower resolution idea seems to be good. Okay guys i'll post the pics soon.

[FrankLamont]

Watermark should actually be quite big, or even a small one with lines coming in from the sides... like an X and stopping in the middle for a title/main watermark. Opacity should be quite low, it should be about 40%-55%.

[Sime]

Something nobody has pointed out, but, if you post to FACEBOOK you wanna make sure you've read their terms of service... here - let me post something horrific.

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

Still want to post your images on facebook?