Photo host sites and copyright ????

ThatCameraThingy · Jun 12, 2005

I hope this is not off topic or wrong forum.

if so .... sorry

Why would a website host my pictures for free ? What do they get out of it ? And how do I know they are not building a photolibrary (albeit with low res pics) of my and others photos (you know the kind of samples you get with windows or Photo Shop etc.)

How can I ensure that my pics do not get misused if I post them on a Photo host site ?

I am new to this stuff , so excuse the strange questions

elsaspet · Jun 12, 2005

If you took the image and haven't sold it, you own the copyright, so I wouldn't worry too much. You could also watermark your photos just to ensure clear copyright.

BLS · Jun 12, 2005

I just visited your blog. Wow! You are having some fun!

ThatCameraThingy · Jun 12, 2005

OK , so I am a Synic

The way I see it , nobody else is going to enforce my copyright for me . If I don't do it who will.

And still the synic in me asks : "What do the host sites get out of it ????"

ThatCameraThingy · Jun 12, 2005

BLS said:
I just visited your blog. Wow! You are having some fun!

Thank you BLS for the Visit.

Yes , just wish i could shoot all those high speed stuff on digital. Shooting film with all the trial and error is breaking the bank !!!

Raymond J Barlow · Jun 12, 2005

ThatCameraThingy said:
OK , so I am a Synic

The way I see it , nobody else is going to enforce my copyright for me . If I don't do it who will.

And still the synic in me asks : "What do the host sites get out of it ????"

Every click one their hosting page gives them adverizing $$ if you click on their ads, they get more.

Ya, wrong forum area., a mod will likely move this.

etaf · Jun 12, 2005

Just read the T&C's with some sites you agree to them being able to use the photos for anything they want. So be very careful.......

ThatCameraThingy · Jun 13, 2005

Aha !!! thanx etaf, I knew there was a catch somewhere.

Sorry about wrong forum Raymond , wasn't sure where supposed to go.

etaf · Jun 13, 2005

theres not always a catch, as i said look at T&C's. I use ImageShack as a registered user - then you can delete them - and that appears from the T&C's OK

ferny · Jun 13, 2005

This thread is better suited to the General forum.

People set up hosting sites to see if they can, for the most part. People getting into or studying coding test themselves to see if they're good enough to create such sites. Some get fail, some get binned, some get kept among friends and others take off and become huge.
Why do it? Well, some people get a kick out of knowing that they've got a name which gets used regularly. They get a buzz off of knowing that people out there who they've never met need them. They don't do it because they need to, they do it because they can.

Many of the sites have advertisements on them. These are normally there to help pay for the sites. They don't make enough money from them to pay for it all, just some. And, the only people who see these adverts (if the host allows hotlinking) are the people who upload their photos. Lots of these types of sites will also off a paid service which gives you more space and bandwidth.

Most, if not all, well known sites (such as www.photobucket.com ) are fine and don't use your images (as far as I know). You're right to ask questions and be paranoid, but it's not really needed here.

Plus, you could always give this site $25 and it'll host 25mb's worth of jpegs.

ThatCameraThingy · Jun 13, 2005

Yep , I could always give this site $25.

although let's see $25 equals about R180.00

in South Africa R180 is a hell of a lot of money.

Now let's see- A Big mac and chips is R20.

That's 9 x big macs and chips.

, o hell that equation doesn't help.

ok wait R180 is 5% of my monthly income!!!

living around here is just a bit expensive and the R/$ exchange rate does not help.

Not wanting to be rude or unsupportive , but i'll rather look for someone that host for free.

Sorry !

thanx for the detailed response though

steve40 · Jun 14, 2005

The intrenet is public domain. Really you don't have to worry about someone borrowing (stealing) your photos as much on a free hoster. As much you do when you post them here.

Jaze1618 · Jun 19, 2005

Ummmaybe try the sight in my sig for exclusive free stuff.

Mike Jordan · Jun 19, 2005

Copyright differs from country to country, although a lot of countries have signed a mutual copyright agreement with each other.

In the U.S. your image is copyrighted the moment you create the image. If you do nothing else, you still own the copyright. The problem is that if someone decides to use your image without your permission the only way to stop them is to take them to Federal Court. If you see your image being used in a magazine or in some other publication and you tell them that that is your image and the person that sent it to them did not have your permission, they won't remove it unless you get a court order. To get a Federal Court order costs money. To sue someone for copyright infringement costs money... a lot of money.

If you want to really protect your copyright (at least here in the U.S.) get your images registered with the Copyright Office (Library of Congress handles copyright). It only costs $30 for as many thumbnail size images (you want them big enough to be recognizable if needed) as you can get on a CD and about 10 minutes to fill out the form. By registering your images, you gain one bit advantage over not having them registered... If you have to sue someone in court for copyright infringement and win, not only do you get what ever judgement from the court BUT the infringing party gets to pay all court costs and lawery fees. Just this alone will be a big incentive for someone to settle with you out of court once they find out your images are registered. If you don't have your images registered, it could cost you several thousand to $50K or more to win a case... and you might not get a judgement if you win that pays for any of it. I know. I was infringed upon by a woman worth millions and I didn't have the image registered and couldn't afford to sue her even though it was a clear cut case of infringement (as much as anything with courts is clear cut). My bank account didn't match my principles. I did get her to stop using the image, but if I had had it registered, I would have been able to buy a very nice camera system. I now have my images registered.

And don't think your images aren't good enough for anyone to steal. You wouldn't believe what some people will use and how an expert at photoshop can turn a dull boring snapshot into a work of art. My image was a lighting test shot and her ad company turned it into a pretty nifty image for her ad in the national magazine it appered in.

So those in the U.S. (and those in other countries should check their copyright laws) should really consider registering any image that sees the light of day on the internet through your own web site or through forums like this one.

Mike