How can you prevent someone snatching Photos from your website?

Ed Gerson · #8 12-21-2007, 02:37 PM

There's a perverse dynamic going on here. If you don't show it, you can't sell it. If you show it, they steal it. You have a website but don't show anything on it? Barbed wire anyone?

KevinStecyk · #9 12-21-2007, 03:48 PM

Hi Ed,

I don't know enough about Flash, but that might be a method to show your photographs without someone borrowing them. Or perhaps, it is just my lack of knowledge.

In any event, if you use jpg, png, or gif file, those are easily identified and taken. And if you can see it on your browser, it's mere child's play to take it. Almost zero technical skills required.

Best regards,
Kevin

David_Buzzard · #10 12-21-2007, 05:11 PM

I had one of my property management clients have their competitor steal the photos of the units I shot for them, and pass them off as their own. It's never ending. Now I produce a Flash Gallery using a program called Sound Slides, and that has totally solved the problem.

David Buzzard's Technical Blog

Martin_Doudoroff · #11 12-21-2007, 08:10 PM

Why not watermark? (I'm asking this question completely innocently.)

Josh_Hawkins · #12 12-21-2007, 08:15 PM

I don't watermark because I feel like it interferes too much with the image. I'd rather have clean good looking image. On the other hand, it's really the only way to put your images on the web and have a decent way to protect them.

Goes back to Ed's perverse dynamic. If you don't show it well, they won't hire you. At least that's my feeling.

Jeffrey_Nye · #13 12-21-2007, 09:42 PM

I too am asking innocently the following question.

Why are we not able to use the DMCA to sue Microsoft, Firefox, Mac,... et al for making those tools to circumvent our attempts to prevent the theft of our images?

Or is there some provision I am not seeing that gives these companies immunity for their actions?

Or maybe I am totally misreading and not comprehending the intent of the act.

I am absolutely sure if I created some software to bypass their security, I would be promptly sued to oblivion for it.

Perhaps we need to look into this, maybe we can do it, and maybe recover some of what we have lost. Yeah right.

Have a great holiday season to everyone.

Robert Wilde · #14 12-21-2007, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DierkHaasis

Put a transparent give on top of the actual image.

As with everything in life you cannot prevent image theft from Web sites 100%, you can only make it harder. Which has the advantage that the thief, if caught, cannot talk himself out of it using the 'accidental' excuse.

What's a "transparent gif"? And how do you put it on your website?

Thanks.