Protecting Your Images

[Joel Eade]

There has been a brief discussion in the "Post Your Best Macro" thread about image theft and how to deal with it. I started this thread to carry on the discussion.

We can talk about what to do if you discover a stolen image and how to prevent image theft.

I recently found this http://www.digimarc.com/digimarc-for-images as a possible solution.


So let's hear from anyone with experience in this area. Share your story and solutions.

[Joel Eade]

Here is another interesting article ...... http://microstockinsider.com/guides/image-theft-sending-dmca-takedown-notice

[ddt0725]

Thanks for providing the last link, Joel. Very helpful!

Because the original taker of one of my photos has seen removed it upon my request, I have lost the link to the more undesirable sites that took it from that person. I should have written them down but didn't. All it takes is one person snatching up your photo and it's off and running on numerous sites! From what I've seen so far, tumblr users are the worst for this!

I have learned that posting a photo on flickr, puts it up for free grabs, no matter what the flickr site states about copyrights. Live and learn, now I just have to remember to put a logo on all my photos before posting.

As a test, I had my daughter log into flickr and she freely downloaded many of my photos and printed them. I had no way of knowing this or tracking it. I was able to track many of the photos that were taken and posted elsewhere online though.

Here is how ...

Go to your homepage and click on "Your Stats" to the left of "Upload Photo and Video"
Toward the bottom of the page, right above "Breakdown of your photos and videos", it lists the domain names of places people linked into your flickr site from. Which means they saw a photo of yours on that site, clicked on the photo and was brought to your flickr account. This will only bring you to the first person that used your photo. If it was taken by someone on "tumblr" you have to follow the links on that persons blog to follow the trail of others that took it from them.





http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3329/favicons/72157601614001242_7730.png

flickr.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/flickr.com/)

184

64%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

community.the-digital-picture.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/community.the-digital-picture.com/)

10

3%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

api.twitter.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/api.twitter.com/)

2

<1%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

flickrhivemind.net (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/flickrhivemind.net/)

2

<1%



http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1133/favicons/72157601618968619_80b1.png

google.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/google.com/)

2

<1%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

t.co (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/t.co/)

1

<1%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

photographyblogger.net (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/photographyblogger.net/)

1

<1%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

flickrforbusypeople.appspot.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/flickrforbusypeople.appspot.com/)

1

<1%



http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

earth-songs.tumblr.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/earth-songs.tumblr.com/)

1

<1%



http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1332/favicons/72157601612037942_e114.png

flickriver.com (http://community.the-digital-picture.com/photos/18085870@N07/stats/2012-06-16/refs/flickriver.com/)

1

<1%







Sometimes the viewers are ok and just viewing your photos, which is great but you need to click on some of the domain links to see if your photo is on their website or blog. earth-songs.tumblr.com had my photo but has since taken it down upon my request and has also posted this on her blog "Not my photos. Photographer source given in most. If there is a photo of yours that is being used illegally, please message me and it will be removed." Others that reblogged it from that person still have it and I can't find them now. Photographyblogger is fine because I posted my photo in their group on flickr and they used it in their thread for top tulip photos. Popular Photography magazine used many of my photos for "Photo of the Day" and I didn't know it until I followed their link thru my stats. Which I was thrilled once I saw it but would never have known otherwise.

FYI - Some of the links may just send you in a circle back to your flickr photo. I don't know what that is all about.

I hope this info helps others from falling victim to photo theft!

Denise

[Joel Eade]

Good info Denise. I also found a website called TinEye....here (for free) you can enter an image or a URL to an image and it searches the internet for matches.

I tried several of mine from Zenfolio and found nothing .... which makes me think using Zenfolio with a watermark might be good enough or maybe no one likes my stuff enough to steal it :confused:

[ddt0725]

My daughter just told me that she is pretty sure if the original poster on tumblr removes the photo, it is automatically removed from the rebloggers blog.

[Dr Croubie]

Good info Denise. I also found a website called TinEye....

I've used TinEye in the past, but unfortunately for them Google also does the same thing now (and using Google's clout, they'll probably bury tineye eventually).
Just go to the google homepage, click 'images', then click the camera icon in the right of the search box, upload your photo, and it'll look for that exact same image elsewhere (and a few that look similar)

[ddt0725]

Well, not to beat a dead horse by bringing this up again but just thought I would post an update.

I thought putting this statement with my photos on flickr would stop people from stealing them ..."My images are not to be downloaded, printed or used on any website, blog or other media without my permission.
© All rights reserved"

Well, it didn't do any good! Last week this photo of mine was placed on Tumblr and now all the people reblogging it are giving the original thief credit for the photo!

Here is a link to my photo on flickr if you want to read the comment I have now put exposing the person who stole it. People on flickr are now contacting "handsomedogs" asking her to remove it. If you would like to join the crusade, feel free!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dtrociophotography/7442831128/

This is a link to the tumblr blog that it originally showed up on ...

http://handsomedogs.tumblr.com/post/26139839062

I have contacted a Tumblr "agent" but it hasn't done any good. Whether she gives me credit by allowing the photo to link back to my flickr account is not the point. All the people that are reblogging it and giving her credit for the photo and not acknowleding me whatsoever is very upsetting!

[rlriii13]

Denise, where is your watermark on the Tumblr shot? Did you recently add it to your Flickr shot, or was it removed by the person who posted it?

[ddt0725]

I replaced the photo with the watermark after I discovered the photo was on Tumblr and the statement alone didn't work with discouraging people from stealing it.

[DavidEccleston]

There is no direct credit to you or anyone else on the tumblr site, however clicking on it brings me to YOUR flickr account. Doesn't look like anyone is trying to steal it, but it would be nicer if they had the standard Flickr link text at the bottom.

[ddt0725]

There is no direct credit to you or anyone else on the tumblr site, however clicking on it brings me to YOUR flickr account. Doesn't look like anyone is trying to steal it, but it would be nicer if they had the standard Flickr link text at the bottom. With my statement under the photo stating that I don't want it blogged, etc. and someone does, yep I consider it stolen especially since not everyone that re-blogs it doesn't have it going to my flickr page when it is clicked on. They only mention that it was taken from "handsomedogs" blog. Asking numerous times for the person to delete it and they don't, then it's stealing in my opinion. I consider taking anything without asking permission and distributing to others, is stealing. Matter of opinion I guess but it is my own fault for thinking my statement below my photo would suffice. I even have one of my flower photos now on a site now that I would take my daughters computer away (even though she is an adult) if I found out she went on a type of website like that! I am lucky I guess that that one doesn't link back to me!

[ddt0725]

Just to update, it looks like my photo was finally deleted by "handsomedogs" after another photographer on flickr also contacted her.

http://handsomedogs.tumblr.com/post/26139839062

[ahab1372]

Looks like all pictures are gone

[DavidEccleston]

I still see over 200 pages of images, so no, not all of them. In fact several pages of new dogs since I first looked earlier today.

[ahab1372]

My bad, just the post linked above doesn't work anymore.