Copyright on pictures used for commercial purposes

[HARDCHRIS]

I have been surprised to see one of my pictures used on a local calendar. I had not been asked the permission at any time.I think that we can share our picture for personal use not for commercial use.But how is it possible to know if this is so.
I suggest that Trekearth should be able to do as many sites do by preventing people to download or copy pictures.What about the members' opinions.
For my part I have stopped to post further pictures since then.
Yopur opinion please.

[danielswalsh]

It's impossible for TrekEarth or ANY webste to stop ANYONE from copying an image. Although there may not be a right click option to save image... one can ALWAYS print screen which does the same thing.
The only way for you to protect your images is by adding a watermark to them before uploading them to TrekEarth (or any other site).

Good luck in pursuing the copyright infringers!
- Dan

[Evolution]

I support the idea of some form of protection for TE users. This issue pops up now and again, but still no movement from the admin. Disabling the right click option would be a start i guess..... allowing watermarks a great idea as well.......
Lets hear some feedback from the site admin.
Brian

[Keitht]

Has anybody actually had a picture removed because of watermarking? If so I do think the action is stupid.

[siolaw]

Hi Christian
This has been discussed many times... as Dan says, it is impossible to prevent picture downloading.
You can always ask the people who published the calendar for some compensation... $$$ ?
Good luck

[rushfan2112]

Hi Christian.

There is no 'guaranteed' way of preventing copyright infringement - even watermarking can be overcome with skill.

However, your photo = your copyright. I completely agree with Laurent, you are owed for the shot and, unless you get what's due, I would 'name and shame' the culprit everywhere and, ideally, make the printers / publishers of the calendar aware so that they know they're dealing with thieves.

Let's not delude ourselves, copyright theft is still just THEFT, plain and simple.

[Keitht]

I've added a copyright symbol to one of my own images and posted it as a workshop. I'd be interested to know if people think that such an addition would affect their critiquing of the image.
Please, please, please either reply as comments or within this thread. I am not looking for additional points :-)

Image is here http://www.trekearth.com/workshops/745525/

[SamB]

i don't think it's too bad... although i personally lean more towards smaller, more subtle watermarks over a larger section of the frame. i think that one thing to bear in mind is that it doesn't matter how unobtrusive or subtle a watermark is, people are still going to complain. That is, i suppose, the purpose of a watermark on some levels--to make it directly identify with you as the photographer... but at the same time, i don't feel like a subtle watermark makes it any more difficult to critique a picture and i don't feel like it detracts from what a watermark tells about the world. If one's highest aspiration is to post pictures on TE, then i suppose that a watermark would clutter the work... but if one's objective in using TE is to learn about the world and to write meaningful critiques, i don't feel like a watermark is harmful at all.

[Roly]

Keith, there are a few truly talented photographers on this site, who systematically deliver great images. I know that part of them also do photography for profit, and neither of them seems to be particularly concerned with this copyright issue. The fact that somebody makes money off your image downloaded from TE, by printing a postcard, CD cover or calendar is illegal, immoral and annoying, but it still doesn't make you any less wealthy: these people wouldn't pay you for the image anyway, if this was watermarked, but use somebody else's free image instead. And let's be honest, at the resolution available on TE, they aren't likely to make a fortune out of the stolen image.
The bottom line is that I find images like the one you watermarked as an example unappealing and prefer looking away. This site is great because it features a gallery with many esthetically pleasing images, and loosing that aspect would be a deterrent to me.
Roland

[danielswalsh]

Hi Brian;

Disabling the right click option interferes with the ability to 'workshop' photos here on TrekEarth. Besides, if someone wants to steal a photo- disabling right click will not stop them. ANYONE can steal a photo- simply by doing a 'screen-shot' (ctrl+print screen)- easy.

Cheers,
- Dan