Have you ever thought about copyright of your own photo?

Samuel Park · Feb 6, 2017

Hello guys. I just want to know whether you guys are concerned to share your own phto without copyright issue.

If someone use your photo without notice, or
If someone use your photo with notice, is there difference between them?

Do you think photos in this forum or on the web that we can just see has a proper copyright?

fmw · Feb 6, 2017

Every photo you take is copyrighted automatically. There is nothing you have to do to gain copyright privilege. The issue is defending the copyright. If someone copies your image, what are you going to do? Hire a lawyer? My advice is not to post any image on the internet that you don't want copied. If I post one of my images you can copy it to your heart's content or I wouldn't have posted it. If I don't want you to copy it, you won't see it.

fmw · Feb 6, 2017

I'll share a true story. My partner once developed a web site. On the contact page he had put a small drawing of a woman with a headset. About 8 years later, I received a threatening email that we had copied their client's drawing and used it on our website. It was news to me. I removed the image and responded with an email expressing sorrow for having caused the problem.

It wasn't good enough. They insisted on payment and explained that they would sue me if I failed to pay. I responded with the address of our local district court where they could file the suit. I didn't hear from them again. I didn't think they had lost anything meaningful from the headphone lady on our site nor had we gained anything important from having it on the site. We certainly didn't miss it after I removed it. I viewed it as an attempted extortion and, in the end, that is what I believe it was.

480sparky · Feb 6, 2017

fmw said:
Every photo you take is copyrighted automatically. ............

Assuming you're in the US. Copyright laws aren't consistent around the world.

fmw · Feb 6, 2017

Another true story. I had once posted an image of a chambered nautilus on the internet which had been cut in half to expose the chambers. I received an email from a book publisher in Australia who asked permission to use it on a book cover. I explained that I viewed any of my images that were posted on the internet as public domain and they were welcome to use it. Some months later I received a copy of the book from them with my image on the cover and a nice credit for the image. The image meant nothing to me. But the publisher had handled things correctly and I felt good about it. So, if you want to copy someone's image, please ask for permission before doing it.

Gary A. · Feb 6, 2017

To clarify Fred. Yes, every photo captured in the U.S. inherently/automatically is copyrighted to the photographer/owner. A visible copyright makes it easier for the owner to file/win a claim. A visible copyright makes it easier for courts to award the owner monetary damages. 480sparky is correct, copyright laws/rules are not universally similar and may change by country.

Everything on the internet is available to be copied. Modern photo manipulation programs makes it quite easy to remove the visible copyright. A visible copyright has limited defense against theft. For photographers desirous of publicity, a visible copyright does provide a significant platform for getting one's name out in the public arena.

fmw · Feb 6, 2017

480sparky said:
fmw said:

Every photo you take is copyrighted automatically. ............

Click to expand...

Assuming you're in the US. Copyright laws aren't consistent around the world.

Yes, there are no copyrights in China. Or, if there are, they are meaningful. As I said, don't put it on the internet if it is important to you.

fmw · Feb 6, 2017

Gary A. said:
To clarify Fred. Yes, every photo inherently/automatically is copyrighted. A visible copyright makes it easier for the owner to file/win a claim. A visible copyright makes it easier for courts to award the owner monetary damages.

Everything on the internet is available to be copied. Modern photo manipulation programs makes it quite easy to remove the visible copyright. A visible copyright has limited defense against theft. For photographers desirous of publicity, a visible copyright does provide a significant platform for getting one's name out in the public arena.

Trying to protect a copyright for something posted on the internet is an exercise in futility. Yes photographers need to post images to promote their business. But they shouldn't expect them to be free from copying. View them as a cost of doing business.

table1349 · Feb 6, 2017

Here we go again.

480sparky · Feb 6, 2017

Although in the US, which provides an automatic copyright as soon as the file is saved on your memory card or the shutter closes on a film camera, such a copyright is not enforceable in the(federal) courts. It must be registered with the USCO before any legal action can be pursued.

KmH · Feb 6, 2017

(USCO = US Copyright Office)
We'll let a qualified US copyright attorney have a say:
From: The Fuss About Fair Use.

Copyrights give the owner the exclusive right to do, or to authorize others to do, specific things with their works. Copyright law effectively gives you, as the copyright owner, a legal monopoly on the use of that image. It also gives the copyright owner the right to prevent someone else from destroying their work.

Contrary to urban legend, that a copyrighted work is posted somewhere on the Internet does not mean it is in the Public Domain. Also. Monetary gain is not a requirement to be guilty of copyright infringement.

Five Things You Can Do to Protect Your Online Images |