Dealing With Image Copyright Infringement

When I first set up a personal website eons ago the whole idea that someone would steal your images was rather foreign.  I found out more about this problem when I started blogging over six years ago.  You certainly cannot stop this from happening but you can set things up so if your images are stolen you can file a DMCA cease and desist notice.  If the blogger/webmaster stealing your image was dumb enough to use a direct link, changing or deleting the image can send a very effective message as well.  In fact, for awhile that was a common way of dealing with the problem throughout the blogosphere.  Some bloggers have caught on so they simply steal the image.  Here are a few things you can do to prevent that:

• use low resolution, saved for web - The image is basically useless if not used in it's saved format especially if they try to enlarge it.
• use a watermark - There are all kinds of methods of adding a watermark to your images.  A watermark is very, very faint but will interfere with any attempted future editing and allow you to identify your image if necessary.
• use a copyright notice -  The copyright notice should include the © and your blog url.  Be sure to add a drop shadow to the notice to discourage removal.
• use some type of frame - The use of a frame forces anyone who wants to use your image without your permission to crop it causing a bit of distortion.  I like using frames that are subtle like bevel and emboss for many of my images but a one or two tone stroke works nicely too.
• flatten your image - Edited images may consist of two to several layers with each layer having a particular effect.  For example, the copyright layer is a transparent layer with nothing more than the notice and layer effect.  Flattening the image prevents anyone who lifts your image from simply removing that layer leaving the rest of the image intact.
• add animation - I have noticed some bloggers are adding animation (eg. twinkling stars, flirting butterflies, etc) to their photos.  This can be effective at preventing theft of your photo but in general should be avoided.

Garden Gnome
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