How to Protect Art on the Internet

There is always the danger when sharing your art over the Internet that an unscrupulous person may commandeer your work and use it without your permission or even claim it as their own. There is also the idea that if the owner of the work cannot be found, then the work could be considered orphaned and therefore up for grabs. This is not generally true, but misconception doesn't offer much comfort when it's your photograph gracing some advertisement that you haven't authorized or received payment for. There are ways, however, to protect your hard work from theft and misuse.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Photo editing software
• Stable email address
• Anti-right click code for your website

1. Watermark your images. The quickest way to keep someone from using your image without your consent is to splash your name or logo across it. While someone could conceivably edit this out, if you place it over the focal point of the picture instead of just on a corner or down one side, the effort required to remove it will be a detractor for a would-be thief.
2. Upload only low-resolution files. Another deterrent to someone looking to use your images for their own purposes is not being able to resize the image and maintain quality. Combined with watermarking, this is probably the best way to keep your files from being used without your permission.
3. Keep your contact information up to date and easily visible. One of the main tenets of the "Orphan Works" scare is that if the owner cannot be found, then the image can be used at will. Having your name and email address on your website (or as your watermark) will make this a non-issue.
4. Disable right-clicking on your website. Since most people will snag an image by right-clicking and choosing the "Save Image As" option, disabling this on a site you run yourself will deter the casual borrower, decreasing the chances that your image will end up passed along innocently enough and then be unable to trace back to you.
5. Copyright your work. While the actual copyright is inherent the moment a tangible item is created, registering the copyright gives you an added layer of protection, specifically in court. You can register a batch of items together for a single fee which makes the per-item registration cost lower than if you had to do it individually, making it a very reasonable expense.
6. Edit the Exif, IPTC, or XMP of your images to reflect your ownership information. This metadata is usually found when you right-click on an image and choose “Properties” and can be edited from most current computers. Doing this before you upload the file may not be a proactive way to protect your images from theft, but is embedded in the photograph's file and can help identify you as the owner if the image is separated from the original website.