How to Stop Graphic Theift? [Copyrighting]

[mastiffman]

Hey gang,

Recently built my forum and some goon on facebook that I know and that doesn't like me because of jealousy, has stolen my forums banner graphic and the name of my forum and is using it for a facebook group...

I want to place a copyright image on my forum banner and the title of the forum. Is there an optimal way to accomplish this stuff.

Any guidance is helpful.

Andrew C.

[Tumbleweed]

Nov 5, 2015 17:29:33 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Hey gang,

Recently built my forum and some goon on facebook that I know and that doesn't like me because of jealousy, has stolen my forums banner graphic and the name of my forum and is using it for a facebook group...

I want to place a copyright image on my forum banner and the title of the forum. Is there an optimal way to accomplish this stuff.

Any guidance is helpful.

Andrew C.

I just googled a online editor program that is free to add a copy right and then you have the option to add a caption so you could add your forum title or a link to your site but it has limited control of where to put the copyright/text but you could try it?  www192.lunapic.com/editor/


Or you could request someone do it for you in our graphics request board.

[mastiffman]

Nov 5, 2015 18:28:31 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Nov 5, 2015 17:29:33 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. I will check that out. I have Coral Paint Photoshop x3 that I made the banner graphics with. I may just do a little more digging in it otherwise. What type of copyright and I'm looking for? Some embedded or visible?

Andrew

[Tumbleweed]

Nov 5, 2015 18:39:19 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Nov 5, 2015 18:28:31 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. I will check that out. I have Coral Paint Photoshop x3 that I made the banner graphics with. I may just do a little more digging in it otherwise. What type of copyright and I'm looking for? Some embedded or visible?

Andrew

That's totally up to you but I'm not sure how embedding would work so can't help you there, anyway. There are things you can do that can deter someone from right clicking your banner and saving it but if they want it bad enough, they can still get it. Like some people put a transparent image over the top of their real banner so when the thief right clicks, they get a transparent image. But that is easily circumvented if they know anything about web sites.

Sorry, not much help as the internet is full of thieves and it is nearly impossible to stop a determined thief. Some will go so far as cutting off a copyright watermark and still use it, will stick it in their graphics program to try to cover it up, etc.

[mastiffman]

Nov 5, 2015 18:54:11 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Nov 5, 2015 18:39:19 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Gotcha. That's what I thought. it's almost inevitable these days that if something is desirable enough, people will do ha they can to attain it.

Andrew

[Mixed]

Hey mastiffman,

I had done a little research for this to answer the question "Are RPGs of yours/ours and the content created within copyrighted?" in my forum FAQs. There is a link that might be helpful to you that I had found.

thompsonhall.com/why-you-must-register-a-copyright/
This explains copyrighting a bit and it might help you dig a little further.

As for trying to protect your image, I think what Tumbleweed said about using a transparent image over your image is genius and I would be very interested in learning how to do that. Until I do, I have thus far been using a logo I created to mark images of my original work. This is beyond the signature, but these watermarked logos are then hidden around the image.

It can help, but like you've both already pointed out, if someone wants it enough, they'll take it and edit the watermarks out. I just hope they don't find them (at least all of them).

Oh! And something else might help is if you have a DeviantArt account, you could load your images there and put them into store. At least then, you would have the time stamp of when you loaded and that could be evidence that you had the image before anyone else. Still, none of this is as safe as obtaining an official copyright.

[Tumbleweed]

Nov 5, 2015 23:45:43 GMT -8 Mixed said:

Hey mastiffman,


As for trying to protect your image, I think what Tumbleweed said about using a transparent image over your image is genius and I would be very interested in learning how to do that. Until I do, I have thus far been using a logo I created to mark images of my original work. This is beyond the signature, but these watermarked logos are then hidden around the image.

If you added your banner via the visual editor as the banner and not the logo, adding a transparent image really won't help as they were going into your source code to get your banner image background anyway. They can't right click and "save-as"  to get a background image. The transparent image is only a deterrent if you added your banner via your logo and in that case, you'd do just as well to move it to your banner area as a background, instead. The premise behind the transparent overlay is when a common thief is out to collect graphics and right clicks a "<img src="http:yourimage.jpeg"> image and then moves on to other sites, will later go to find that image he/she stole and find just a black transparent png and hopefully, forgotten where they stole that image in the first place.

My tip for using images throughout your site is to use them as backgrounds whenever possible, even in posts if you don't want to make it super easy for thieves to steal. At least is stops them from an easy right click and "save-as". Of course it is still just a couple more clicks and they have your image but we can always hope for lazy thieves. lol

[mastiffman]

Nov 6, 2015 8:49:57 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Nov 5, 2015 23:45:43 GMT -8 Mixed said:

If you added your banner via the visual editor as the banner and not the logo, adding a transparent image really won't help as they were going into your source code to get your banner image background anyway. They can't right click and "save-as"  to get a background image. The transparent image is only a deterrent if you added your banner via your logo and in that case, you'd do just as well to move it to your banner area as a background, instead. The premise behind the transparent overlay is when a common thief is out to collect graphics and right clicks a "<img src="http:yourimage.jpeg"> image and then moves on to other sites, will later go to find that image he/she stole and find just a black transparent png and hopefully, forgotten where they stole that image in the first place.

My tip for using images throughout your site is to use them as backgrounds whenever possible, even in posts if you don't want to make it super easy for thieves to steal. At least is stops them from an easy right click and "save-as". Of course it is still just a couple more clicks and they have your image but we can always hope for lazy thieves. lol

Gotcha. Thanks for the input.

All sounds like some great info that might be able to be applied as wisdom in the future.

The thief that I would be guarding this all from is actually kind of a dummy from everything that I gather. Who knows, they may not even realize that I've tweaked the forum graphic a bit and placed it on any type of lock down. They are doing it out of pure spitefulness. They evidently have nothing better to do.

How do some sites have the ability to disable any right clicking to begin with... What kind of security feature is that?

Also, I guess anything that is really desired after all of the above is implemented they could just flat take a screen of the site banner and then photo shop out what they want... Might not even be worth the effort. Be better to more effort into other areas.

[Tumbleweed]

Nov 7, 2015 8:24:31 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Nov 6, 2015 8:49:57 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

If you added your banner via the visual editor as the banner and not the logo, adding a transparent image really won't help as they were going into your source code to get your banner image background anyway. They can't right click and "save-as"  to get a background image. The transparent image is only a deterrent if you added your banner via your logo and in that case, you'd do just as well to move it to your banner area as a background, instead. The premise behind the transparent overlay is when a common thief is out to collect graphics and right clicks a "<img src="http:yourimage.jpeg"> image and then moves on to other sites, will later go to find that image he/she stole and find just a black transparent png and hopefully, forgotten where they stole that image in the first place.

My tip for using images throughout your site is to use them as backgrounds whenever possible, even in posts if you don't want to make it super easy for thieves to steal. At least is stops them from an easy right click and "save-as". Of course it is still just a couple more clicks and they have your image but we can always hope for lazy thieves. lol

Gotcha. Thanks for the input.

All sounds like some great info that might be able to be applied as wisdom in the future.

The thief that I would be guarding this all from is actually kind of a dummy from everything that I gather. Who knows, they may not even realize that I've tweaked the forum graphic a bit and placed it on any type of lock down. They are doing it out of pure spitefulness. They evidently have nothing better to do.

How do some sites have the ability to disable any right clicking to begin with... What kind of security feature is that?

Also, I guess anything that is really desired after all of the above is implemented they could just flat take a screen of the site banner and then photo shop out what they want... Might not even be worth the effort. Be better to more effort into other areas.

Disabling right click will only annoy you and your members. Not worth it and also easily circumvented! As I said, no matter what you do, if someone want to steal bad enough, they can and you bring up a good point about screen shots. All you can do is take some easy steps like making them a background and hope they are too lazy to go the couple extra steps to get the image.

And also report them (if the site they have your images on is a ProBoards site) using the abuse option at the bottom of every site if you can prove they stole your original creation(s).

[Former Member]

Tineye www.tineye.com/ to check where your images appear
Is an excellent site to check your images - A site I use quite often to keep an eye on things
If you have created YOUR OWN images...

Steve

[mastiffman]

Nov 7, 2015 19:50:06 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Nov 7, 2015 8:24:31 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

 Gotcha and I agree.

 

 They are unfortunately using the image on Facebook for a group and then named the group after the site. They are posing as my facebook group.

When I found out about their facebook group I started one and out [official] after it. They went back and put [original official] after theirs.... So irritating!!!?

Nov 8, 2015 2:39:20 GMT -8 @xsteveuk said:

Tineye www.tineye.com/ to check where your images appear
Is an excellent site to check your images - A site I use quite often to keep an eye on things
If you have created YOUR OWN images...

Steve

 Yes Steve, It's my image that I created in Coral PaintShop Pro x3... Thanks for the tip!

[Stinky666]

Nov 5, 2015 18:39:19 GMT -8 mastiffman said:

Nov 5, 2015 18:28:31 GMT -8 Tumbleweed said:

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. I will check that out. I have Coral Paint Photoshop x3 that I made the banner graphics with. I may just do a little more digging in it otherwise. What type of copyright and I'm looking for? Some embedded or visible?

Andrew

I can't remember which version it is, but if you create an image using Paint Shop Pro, you can edit the Exif Data, meaning you can add your own copyright info and other details so then nobody else can edit/steal. And to prove it's yours, you can say "look at the exif data" (right clicking on an image > properties).

I have Corel X5 and X8, but I THINK earlier versions have it, but they weren't AS good/advanced. Obviously as with any versions of stuff, they improve.
If memory serves, it should be Image > Image Info (Shift+I).

In there is several tabs, look through them, I think 3 or 4 tabs, the 2nd or 3rd is the "Creator Info" that can be edited, then the Exif Info on the last tab, you can decide what information is displayed.


Hope this helps you at least in the future

[blackdawg]

go here it is all online www.watermark.ws/

[mastiffman]

Thanks.

Are there symbols I can put on my Banner Image to clarify that it's copy write protected?

[♥ ℒʊ√ ♥]

A copyright is in place the moment someone creates an original work.

It's not necessary to embed anything or even to place the symbol ~ although I often do both.


EXIF is difficult for most individuals to remove. Copyright symbol and words can be easily removed if you know how to edit images.


But it really doesn't make a difference, if you create it, you own it ~ even without officially applying for a copyright. One usually applies if they are going to pursue a copyright infringement lawsuit.


Good luck, mastiffman . Here's a page of copyright images ~ most in .png format.


And this is straight from the Copyright office ~ copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#automatic

When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.”