Orchid Photos - Copyright info please

[Helen]

I was just wondering if once you post an orchid picture on the internet, if anyone and everyone can copy it? I notice some people have their names on their pictures and state it cannot be copied without permission. Where would I find info on this process?
Thanks!
Helen

[Chococatte]

Ray and Rosin in Bz are two good people to direct you question to they posted photos of their orchids on here and AOS forum. If you're handy with photoshop I think there is a way to place a watermark on your photos, letting others know that your photos are copyright protected. But no, no one should be using someone else's photos but it happens.

[Ray]

US law states that if you publish something original, whether it is a document or image, you automatically own the rights to it, that is, it is copyrighted. There is no further process necessary.

Folks however, seem to feel that the internet makes them "public domain" which is untrue.

When I post an image, I first downgrade the image to lesser quality (making it smaller to upload and download, but also rendering it less-than-desirable to blow-up and print), and add the copyright notice with a small freeware program called Picture-Shark.

The Photoshop watermark can be very easily created, and there is a great tutorial here. That technique however, degrades the image a bit, so I'm not a huge fan. (example below) There are add-ons available that create a watermark that only shows up if you print it, but that's expensive.

[gmdiaz]

Originally Posted by Helen

I was just wondering if once you post an orchid picture on the internet, if anyone and everyone can copy it? I notice some people have their names on their pictures and state it cannot be copied without permission. Where would I find info on this process?
Thanks!
Helen

It's not legal but it is usually not an issue if you want to copy and save a photo to your computer, if you just want to play with it for a short while, like use it for wallpaper or some such.

I do save orchid photos from the web to use with my orchid tracking software. . .just for reference until my own orchids bloom and I can get photos, for instance. But then I delete them from my computer. And do save the person's name as part of the file name associated with the photo, if it's available. It's kind of like writing a research paper, you can use other people's work but you must reference your sources. Otherwise, it's plagerism. You are taking someone else's work and calling it your own.

So it really is a no-no to use any images that you find, for any purpose, without the express permission of the owner. The photo belongs to the person who created it. Most people don't mind if it's for personal use but you REALLY should ask them first for permission and always site credit where appropriate.

[Dorothy]

I found this -

"Using the work of others -

As with all copyright work, you should first obtain permission from the copyright owner before you use someone else’s work.You should also be prepared to pay a fee, as many photographers will charge you for using their work.

Only the copyright owner, (or his/her authorised representative), can give permission, so you should contact the photographer, or his/her company, directly for consent. For images published on the Internet, it is typical to contact the webmaster of the site in the first instance, unless the site provides contact details for the owner of the images.

The copyright owner has no obligation to allow you to use their work, and can refuse permission for any reason."

Taken from and for more about this go to P-16: Photography and copyright

[Helen]

Excellent info from everyone! thank you all so very much!
Helen

[maitaman]

Posting=copyright is very good. I do not care if anyone wants to download my photos and I download hundreds of species photos strictly for my own use in identification. I leave the copyright name on the photo if there is one until I delete. (When I have a descriptive photo of my own)
The point comes when anyone wants to use your photo in something for sale or claims it is their property. That is detrimental infringement and can lead to lawsuits.
There is a way to put a code in the image that makes download next to impossible. I've come across it, but don't know the code.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by maitaman

There is a way to put a code in the image that makes download next to impossible. I've come across it, but don't know the code.

Perhaps you are confusing two things? In HTML one can block the downloading and/or printing of an image. Imbedded "code" is what Ray was referring to. Digimarc has such a service https://www.digimarc.com/ and it is subscription based. Many pros go through this service to mark their photos. I chose, early on, not to do this. The images I post for evaluation by prospective clients are not usuable except for evaluation and "comping" (placing in a sample publication as a placeholder.) I have found that images posted at 640x480 and 72dpi are just too small to be of any value for most pirates. I am always surprised though at what e-bay sellers will do

[Ray]

Thanks, Ross. Digimarc is what I was thinking of, but couldn't remember the name!

[kavanaru]

Originally Posted by maitaman

There is a way to put a code in the image that makes download next to impossible. I've come across it, but don't know the code.

don't trust that thatmuch... you can download the freeware Brigitte or Birgitte (I do not remember), or any other similar software and copy any pictures you want from internet... and sometimes teh codes for avoid downloading do not work if you use Mac

so I agree with Ray and Ross: smaller pictures and a the copyright on it (I have never been able to use "watermark" - Thanks for the link to the tutorial, I will have a look on it )