If you publih your photos on the Internet it is very likely that they will be stolen. The question then is how to protect your photographs. It should be noted that preserving copyright is not an easy task, but it is worth it. You need to protect your photographs.
We show you some measures you can take to prevent anyone from stealing your work or photographs. In addition, we give you some steps to enforce this protection in the event of a theft.
To prevent stolen your photos, learn about The ABCs of Copyright
In the United States – at least – copyright is ineffective if you do not register the work with the US Copyright Office. This process is not simple, as it costs between $ 35 and $ 55 per request and registration. However, many photographers do not save their work, especially beginners.
It is not difficult to determine if someone uses your photos and republished it on their site without your permission. Compensation ranges from $ 750 to $ 30,000 per job, plus legal fees. Sometimes it can reach up to $ 150,000 if copyright infringement is intentional.
Filing a complaint is a thorny affair and takes time and patience. In particular, things could get complicated if the person or company that infringed your copyright was outside the United States.
As a result, it is practical for photographers to take proactive measures to protect their work. This can reduce the potential damage instead of following the path of justice.
Register your work to protect your photographs
To protect your photographs, register your work on the United States Copyright Office website. By paying just $ 35, you can save up to 750 unpublished or published photos in one application.
All you have to do is download a digital file for each image you copy. It is also necessary to prepare a list that includes the titles of the photos and the time of their publication.
For good protection of your photos, save them within three weeks of their publication. This may include posts on your website or on social media accounts. You should also protect your phone and computers where you have saved your photos by using the best antivirus.
Include copyright metadata
Another approach to secure yourself against robbery is to incorporate the metadata for the copyright of your photographs. It activates automatically when taking photos. Just enter your name, contact details, and other copyright information in the settings. You can also use two processing programs: After shooting “Lightroom”, “Photoshop” or any other photo editing program.
Watermark protect better your photographs
Photo experts note that a watermark is more effective compared to embedded copyright metadata. This is because the watermark is part of the actual image file and cannot be deleted without cropping the image or altering it in another way. However, the defect of a watermark is its bad appearance. In fact, a large mark can help distract the image in general, not to mention that small marks can be easily cropped.
