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Image used for test - Photo by David George
The first thing I should say is that Flickr is a great site for sharing photos. Notice I said sharing photos. I do not share photographs as they are my livelihood. I do put some up for general viewing but not very many as most has some sort of commercial or editorial value.
I ran a test using FLickr to see if things have changed and so far nothing seems to be different. I can right click on any photo and download it. The normal keyboard shortcuts will still work also. The metadata has been stripped out of the photo. That is the exif information or photo fingerprint. It is the information on how the photo was taken and any copyright information that was embedded in the photo. My Flickr Photo
The first photo in the folder Flickr is the original full size photo. The second photo is the small version I uploaded to Flickr. It is about 40kbs or so. The third photo is the one I downloaded and enlarged and as you can see it is hard to tell it apart from the original. As a working photographer this is not a good thing. With the ability to copy and enlarge the photo with no metadata there is no protection for the photo. You would have little recourse if a company or individual downloaded and used your photo. Since my work is not public domain I should be paid for my work.
The use of photos on the net has increased dramatically because everyone wants to share or wants the latest designs on their websites and that includes photos and links to photos. There are many places that have no protection for the copyright holders so they are basically allowing people to steal photos. Your photographs are copyrighted the second that you press the shutter release. It is your option to give them away or get paid for them not someone who wants to steal them for their own personal gain. Some companies have been caught downloading massive amounts of photos then selling them as high dollar prints on canvas without paying for the photos or paying the copyright holder.l
The idea of someone stealing my photos and selling them as their own is reprehensible to me. I suggest putting copyright notices on all photos or on the site where you show them. Also put a statement there that they are not public domain. If your camera allows it put copyright information in the metadata. Then register your photos so you can collect punitive damages if someone steals the photo and uses it.
Any questions or comments are welcome and you can reach me at dlgeorge1@hotmail.com
All photos in my articles are copyrighted by me and not public domain unless otherwise noted.
Comments
I don't get it--what is your point in this article? You're not using flickr because people can download your photo? Then you shouldn't upload your photos anywhere on the net, even to your own website, because as soon as a photo appears on the screen it can be ripped off, no matter how many "security" measures (disable right-clicking etc.) there are. There will always be workarounds, and there will always be people who won't care about copyright, no matter how many copyright notices you put on your website or in the metadata. The only helpful tip is that if you're keen on protecting your photos to be safe in a lawsuit against art thieves you should register them--or don't upload them on the net at all. Maybe that's a good topic for another article--how to register your photos to be able to claim copyright in court ;)
Michael, The article was written to get people thinking about the issue and in response to several emails asking me why I am not on Flickr. You are absolutely right that if someone has the technical knowledge they can get around a lot. The issue that I have with Flickr is they strip out the metadata. Without that data it is almost impossible to enforce the copyright. Most people don't even know it exists. The pay sites I use put up low resolution copies with the hi res photos offline. Some disable the right click as it stops most people. Others add a clear gif file over the photos so that even if they download they get the clear gif only. Even if they do get the photo then they have low resolution file so you need some very good software to make a good copy. That is usually enough to deter people. But can it all be stopped. NO.
Now the copyright information. That article is in works as are several others.
Look at Facebook, they redone their TOS after people really read it.
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