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Copyrighting images for web

Jen Goodwin

Jen Goodwin

New Member
Can anyone tell me how to copyright or make the images on my site not 'right-clickable' and therefore not readily 'steal-able'?
I am quite *expletive deleted* ticked off that my images (hence, customers logos) keep getting ripped off my webpage by local web designers for my customers web pages without permission - heck, even a phone call woulda been nice! God forbid I get paid for my design work. GRRRRRRRRRRR.

Yes, I know I need to charge upfront (and DO!) - but at the time, they refuse and say they don't need it - then a year later, there it is gleaming at the top of their web pages. It's so aggravating! I realize now, this is all my fault!! I can be mad at so many other people, but I need to protect what is mine and haven't done that so far and I'm asking for help.
 
CES020

CES020

New Member
Not much you can do, I don't think, with normal images. Problem is, anyone can do a screen capture and get your image that way. Disabling the right click isn't going to stop someone that wants it.

I think Flash is a little better, but still doesn't stop the screen capture.
 
Jen Goodwin

Jen Goodwin

New Member
Thanks guys, at least that's something! My husband says I should only use photos, but I LOVE the look of my vectored images and I had them link to my customers pages and (at least those loyal customers I love an in turn treat me with respect) loved that! It makes me so mad that a local web page designer did this to me. I soooooooo want to post the site. The logo itself has a copyrighted font that I am 100% sure the web designer DOES NOT HAVE!!! What's up with that!? It's easier to steal it from me than go pay $40 for a font?!? I paid for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wanna call and just ask them what font that is, I am seriously tempted to do just that tomorrow like a inquiring mind who just thinks their design is nice, using my cellphone.
Some days I just hate people.
 
omgsideburns

omgsideburns

New Member
and this is the web designers fault why?
your customer probably said "hey you can find our logo on so and so's website."
as far as that designer knows, their customer has full rights to their logo.
 
sinetist

sinetist

New Member
Jen Goodwin said:
The logo itself has a copyrighted font that I am 100% sure the web designer DOES NOT HAVE!!! What's up with that!? It's easier to steal it from me than go pay $40 for a font?!? [
Click to expand...

All they got was a picture of the lettering you used .... not the whole typeable font.

I have some gif pictures of vector maps on the web that I know get copied a lot. I tried the java script disabling the right click but wasn't totally happy with how that worked. Now I horizontally "slice" the picture up into 5 parts (could be more) then load/stack the slices onto the web page in proper vertical order. They show up as a complete picture but when someone right clicks on the picture they only get the slice their cursor was on top of. It baffles most people trying to get the whole picture or reassemble the slices to reproduce. Of course they can still do a screen capture or partial screen capture.
 
Jen Goodwin

Jen Goodwin

New Member
Great ideas everyone! I will be implementing them this weekend. I like having the work there, I just don't want it easy to take.
omgsideburns....I am to blame, not the web designer, I took responsibility...but then again, if I took it from her site, I would feel like I was stealing it. It's one thing if my customer has the rights to his/her logo and have a disk with the file and a disclaimer stating ownership (which they would) - it's another to just swipe it from my site without so much as a phone call.

sinetist...you are right about the image of the font rather than the usable font, I guess I didn't think that through while I was mad. :) Today, I am not mad anymore...just fixing it.
 
cptcorn

cptcorn

adad
omgsideburns said:
and this is the web designers fault why?
your customer probably said "hey you can find our logo on so and so's website."
as far as that designer knows, their customer has full rights to their logo.
Click to expand...
Right, you should either speak with your customer, or speak with your lawyer...
D&Tgraphics said:
Just put a watermark across the image. Then the web guys can't use it.
Click to expand...
He's speaking about the images that contain the logo etc I do believe.

Right click protection is pointless, it keeps honest people, mostly honest, but most of the time, not so much...

It's very easy to get around it in firefox (never looked into it for ie)... I'll show you how easy it is... This is a photo gallery of mine, look at this photo: http://photos.figzphoto.com/North-Shore/North-Shore/5940154_oQgPp#370090545_KfsN9

Try and right click... sure it doesn't work. Click TOOLS > PAGE INFO > MEDIA (TAB/BUTTON) ... and in this menu you have all of the images on that website... just look through them until you find yours, and then save as. Easy as that.

So yeah, its not a protect all... The only thing that can protect you, is a lawyer, essentially.
 
W

wetgravy

Guest
alright. first off ... right click protection helps people LEAVE your site. I myself leave sites that do it because of the simple fact that you can't open links in new tabs (or windows). Now there are ways to limit what can be right clickable (it's a javascript rightclick menu code) but i wouldn't suggest it because of the fact that it can be disabled. same as any of the right click protections.

as for copyright itself there is no for sure way to protect anything you design on the web ... between software that can download your website in whole, to screen cappers, to any number of other ways of getting your image on their system ... it's just not worth it.

if you want to make it harder ... go with just thumbnails, and watermark them, and make them extremely pixelated and compressed ... in the end it will do you more harm than good.

Or ... just don't put it on the web.

as for the local webdesigner ... contact a local attorney that can send a cease order on your behalf ... might cost you a few hundred ... but the threat of lawsuit is never fun for a freelancer.
 
Charlie J

Charlie J

New Member
cptcorn said:
Right, you should either speak with your customer, or speak with your lawyer...

He's speaking about the images that contain the logo etc I do believe.

Right click protection is pointless, it keeps honest people, mostly honest, but most of the time, not so much...

It's very easy to get around it in firefox (never looked into it for ie)... I'll show you how easy it is... This is a photo gallery of mine, look at this photo: http://photos.figzphoto.com/North-Shore/North-Shore/5940154_oQgPp#370090545_KfsN9

Try and right click... sure it doesn't work. Click TOOLS > PAGE INFO > MEDIA (TAB/BUTTON) ... and in this menu you have all of the images on that website... just look through them until you find yours, and then save as. Easy as that.

So yeah, its not a protect all... The only thing that can protect you, is a lawyer, essentially.
Click to expand...

Never knew that, nice tip
 
ProWraps

ProWraps

New Member
suck it up. if you put it on the web, there is no way to protect it. ie, dont put it on the web in a format that is usable. i can press the printscreen button on my keyboard and render ANY solution you use useless.

if you are designing logos for customers, charge them in a manor that allows them to own the image. why are you doing logos for people then expecting them not to use them through out their marketing?

your asking for a fix to a symptom, not a problem.
 
Replicator

Replicator

New Member
With apps like the NEW Windows 7 Snipping Tool and others like it, it is quite impossible to protect any images watermarked or not.
 
Joe Diaz

Joe Diaz

New Member
This among other reasons, is why I like building galleries in flash. Right click won't work and it's much harder to track down where those photos are stored on the server (although not impossible.)

But like Rep said, apps like the snipping tool, will still kick your butt. If someone really wants to get an image off a website, they will find a way. But a few actions should stop the casual internet user.

Really watermarks are the best line of protection.
 
T

tintguy31794

New Member
I can get any image I want off the web... whether you try to stop me or not. ... the only way to keep anyone from really stealing your picture is to watermark it... at least then you have your name and website in the middle of the picture... light enough it doesnt take away from it, but enough that it would discourage most from bapping it.

by disable right click functions you are only ticking off your regular visitors it will have zero effect on the people that it is intended for ...
 
Mosh

Mosh

New Member
Watermarks do make anyone who would steal an image work a little harder. Not that the Mosh has ever ripped off any "calvin peeing on such and such" before.....
 
grafxxx

grafxxx

New Member
i was going to say what Joe said use flash for your galleries there are a ton of free/cheap flash photo galleries programs i just got one for $35. you should also use flash for your contact/email links also so that way bots can't pick up and steal your email links. and use them to send spam to you or use your email address to send spam.
 
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