How do you obtain a copyright license?

[Life in a Lens]

If there is such a thing? I'm posting mystuff online so much I'm getting a little worried. So how does one go about getting their photography copyrighted?

[Patrick]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

If there is such a thing? I'm posting mystuff online so much I'm getting a little worried. So how does one go about getting their photography copyrighted?

As the photographer you automatically have full copyright of all your pictures.
In fact if you take photographs for other people and are paid, copyright is still yours they are only allowed to use the pictures for the agreed purposes, any further use would have to be re-negotiated. Unless the contract surrenders the copyright, in other words you can sign it away.
I believe this to be correct but Stephen or Bearface as commercial photographers will have a greater knowledge on this than me.

Patrick

[Ian]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

Here on DPNow, all the pages are copyrighted by us in order to prevent other web sites and other unauthorised people from stealing the content and publishing or otherwise using it for their own gain. However, we don't claim copyright of your pictures for any other use.

As Patrick says, in many countries it is accepted that the photographer automatically owns the copyright, even when commissioned by a third party, though proof of copyright (in other words how does one know 'who' actually took the picture in the first place) could be difficult to determine if it was actually contested.

A link to a useful text on photographic copyright was posted a while back - have a look at:

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php

If I remember correctly, you are in Canada?, so you would need to check your own laws.

Ian

[Bearface]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

If there is such a thing? I'm posting mystuff online so much I'm getting a little worried. So how does one go about getting their photography copyrighted?

Hi,

Patrick's absolutely right when he says that what you shoot, you automatically own copyright to. This applies whether you put a copyright logo on the image or not, but it's always wise to archive the original file in case you ever have to produce it as evidence that you were responsible for the original photo. One of the benefits of shooting in RAW is that you always have the digital "negative" and this prevents those who have a high-res copy with EXIF data (ie. clients or models) from making claims of ownership.

On several occasions I've seen my images in magazines and on internet websites, having been published or misused without my permission. On all these occasions I've written to the perpetrator informing them that I intend to pursue them (within a reasonable time limit - say 14 days) via the courts for compensation unless they contact me with a proposal for settlement; especially in the case of magazines or when the image in question has been used for commercial gain. In all these cases - apart from once where the magazine's editor initially didn't realise how serious I was about suing him - - the matters have been resolved without litigation.

At the end of the day, if you're uploading 72dpi images onto the internet, they're only really suitable for internet reproduction. Admittedly one of my 72dpi shots ended up in a surfing magazine, but in the main it isn't going to happen and so you should simply take the precaution of applying a copyright logo to all your images, as this will deter (not prevent) the unscrupulous from misusing your work. Beyond that - unless you've developed a piece of software that can detect your images literally anywhere on the internet - you're simply going to have to take your chances...

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

I see, well thank you very much. And Thank you Patrick too! I do try to use between 60-90dpi for web use. I don't think I'm good enough yet to be really worried about art theft but I keep seeing a lot of it happening in deviant art to a lot of other more popular members. So it gets me thinking you know?

I do eventually intend on learning raw. But I just haven't gotten to it yet. I'm kind of scare of it because someone once said it's incredibly difficult and to leave it alone. O_o

Right now I edit my photos (crop/resize/board/ and basic touch ups like contrast/b&w conversions/levels/curves) directly from my memory card and into photoshop and then I save the finished product but delete the original. I guess I should start saving to originals as well? I was for a while but I kept running out of room on my harddrive.

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

Ooooh, I'll have to look for sometihng like that for here, yes! Thank you!

[Patrick]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

I see, well thank you very much. And Thank you Patrick too! I do try to use between 60-90dpi for web use. I don't think I'm good enough yet to be really worried about art theft but I keep seeing a lot of it happening in deviant art to a lot of other more popular members. So it gets me thinking you know?

I do eventually intend on learning raw. But I just haven't gotten to it yet. I'm kind of scare of it because someone once said it's incredibly difficult and to leave it alone. O_o

Right now I edit my photos (crop/resize/board/ and basic touch ups like contrast/b&w conversions/levels/curves) directly from my memory card and into photoshop and then I save the finished product but delete the original. I guess I should start saving to originals as well? I was for a while but I kept running out of room on my harddrive.

[Archangel]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

If there is such a thing? I'm posting mystuff online so much I'm getting a little worried. So how does one go about getting their photography copyrighted?

Photos are automatically copyrighted at the time taken.
RAW, as Tim said, is a good way to claim and prove authenticity/ownership.
Jpeg and tiff are also copyrighted.

While copyright laws are almost similar in most countries, check those with your country's authorities.
Though you should at least have two rights:
a) the property right
b) the ethics right

A nice trick in order to be able to claim/prove authenticity/ownership easily, if you don't shoot RAW, is to take 2-3 slightly different snaps of the same theme that you are planning to post over the web. The thief will always have the one he found posted somewhere, but you will have the 2-3 slightly different ones to prove that you were there and that you are the owner of the stolen photo like you are the owner for the other similar ones.


Regards

George

[Bearface]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

I'm kind of scare of it because someone once said it's incredibly difficult and to leave it alone. O_o

That is absolutely not the case

RAW is just a type of file. Admittedly a RAW image needs to be put through a RAW conversion software package, but these are now integral to many image-editors and are as simple to use as a knife and fork...

Many (if not most...) enthusiasts and professionals ONLY shoot in RAW. Having a "negative" of your digital file is just one benefit, but Ian's recent post tells you all about RAW in an easy-to-digest fashion. I'd suggest you read it

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

And where might I find that post?

[Ian]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

And where might I find that post?

Look at his message again, he has hot-linked to the post in question

ian

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

Hey now.. I could have swore that link wasn't there before! *waggles a finger*

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

Oooooh I see. *read the post* So if I instal the disk that came with my D70s that should have RAW conversion software on it I think... and so I would take a raw photo and put it through that, that would "develope" it and then i can put it in photoshop to do my normal stuff after that?

[Patrick]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

Oooooh I see. *read the post* So if I instal the disk that came with my D70s that should have RAW conversion software on it I think... and so I would take a raw photo and put it through that, that would "develope" it and then i can put it in photoshop to do my normal stuff after that?

Got it in one

Patrick

[Life in a Lens]

Re: How do you obtain a copyright license?

^_^ Thank you guys!