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  • COPYRIGHT
    • Copyright and artists' rights
    • BASICS: Copyright Infringement and Fair Use
    • How to protect artwork online
    • How to do a reverse image search
    • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists
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​How to protect artwork online

This section covers various strategies for protecting your artwork ONLINE.
  • Plan to prevent theft
  • ​Digital watermarks for art 
  • How to find stolen content​

​Next you need to go to
  • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists - when someone steals your image​
Picture

How to avoid copyright infringement - PLAN to prevent theft

Preventing copyright infringement
can be achieved by:
  • Not putting your artwork online at all. This is the only guaranteed way which you can prevent copyright infringement online
  • Post a very clear copyright notice - it's not going to stop theft but it will help you get it sorted out
  • Put your blog on a short feed - limiting the amount of content which can be scraped and put on other sites considerably reduces the problem of theft. This is what I do and have done for years after my blog was scraped mercilessly in the early years. Short content means no content to hang adverts on but it also means you have to write a killer opening paragraph to get people to read the rest!
  • disable right click - this means
  • tell people that the artwork they buy is a high resolution version of what they see - some people use a sample of a small cropped area to illustrate the difference
  • Use a digital watermark - mainly used for images which people want to protect
  • Use a digital fingerprint in your feed - this helps identify places which have scraped your content. 
REFERENCE:
  • Protecting Your Content on WordPress.com - Lorelle on WordPress | Jonathan Bailey of Plagiarism Today - Users of the self-hosted version of WordPress have always had a lot of tools for protecting their site and their feeds.
  • How do you protect your work on the internet? | Arts Law - information useful to those who display their created work online
Other Contents:
  • Copyright for Artists
  • Copyright and artists rights
  • Global conventions on Copyright
The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide For Photographers and Artists In The Digital Age
by Edward C. Greenberg J.D and Jack Reznicki ​
RECOMMENDED: An accessible guide to copyright (for the American marketplace). It's targeted at photographers, illustrators, artists who need to understand why and how images need to be protected and what their rights are - within the context of digital images and the internet.
Picture
Easy to digest content covers:
  • what is and isn't copyrightable
  • copyright registration
  • fair use
  • model releases
  • contracts and invoices
  • pricing and negotiation
and a lot more! Plus it's accessible and easy to understand.
Picture
The authors are American and hence much of the content related to law has an American bias. They also write a blog called The Copyright Zone - described as a survival blog for photographers, artists and the confused! Greenberg is a commercial litigator based in New York. Reznicki is an experienced and commercial people and children photographer.
Paperback: 352 pages
Published by Focal Press in 2015

UK: Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by 42 customer reviews 

BUY THIS BOOK
The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide For Photographers and Artists In The Digital Age BUY from Amazon UK
USA: Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by 45 customer reviews 

BUY THIS BOOK
The Copyright Zone: A Legal Guide For Photographers and Artists In The Digital Age - BUY from Amazon.com

Watermarks for Artists

What are watermarks for art?

Watermarks are traditionally used to discourage cheating and counterfeiting.  Thus a  watermark on an art paper signifies that it is actually made by a particular manufacturer.
An image or mark in a sheet of paper (usually the papermaker's trademark) visible when viewed by transmitted light
Tate
Digital watermarks are the online equivalent. However digital watermarks can either be:
  • overt - and can be viewed online
  • covert - and are embedded in the digital data associated with the image
The problem with digital watermarks is that the science and technology can change as this whole area of knowledge becomes more sophisticated both in terms of those trying to create protection and those trying to circumvent it

REFERENCE:
  • Watermark | Wikipedia - A watermark is an identifying image or pattern (this article relates to physical watermarks on paper)
  • Digital watermarking | Wikipedia - A digital watermark is a kind of marker...embedded in... audio, video or image data. It is typically used to identify ownership of the copyright

Digital watermarking can provide a range of solutions for identifying, securing, managing and tracking digital images, audio, video, and printed materials.
Glossary | Digital Watermarking Alliance
The issues for a lot of artists are:
  • whether or not to go to the bother of digitally watermarking their art - in terms of the expense and effort involved and the need to keep up with technology changes if software is involved.
  • whether using a visible copyright watermark deters people from buying art because it makes it look unattractive 
There is considerable debate about digital watermarking within the art community. The reference section has some of the numerous articles about this.

However an alternative is that you can digitally watermark your art using software in a way which is invisible. This is an approach which is not infrequently used by those who can afford to do so. (It's not cheap).
REFERENCE:
  • Debate | Should you Watermark Art you Are Posting Online? | red dot blog - Should you watermark the art you display online. Consideration of the pros and cons.
  • Marketing Your Digital Art: To Watermark or Not? - Fine Art Tips by Lori McNee
  • To Watermark or Not To Watermark? That’s the Artist’s Question | Empty Easel

How to watermark your art

You can watermark your art in a variety of ways. These are explained in this section - with references to useful websites. I'm not recommending one method of another. The perfect solution will be customised for an artist's requirements and budget and what will suit one might not suit another. Avoid those who tell you that "you must have...." - because you don't.
You can digitally watermark your art using software. This enables you to:
  • develop customised digital watermarks
  • cope with the need to watermark large quantities of images - rather than each one (one by one)


REFERENCE
  • How to watermark your art | Skinny Artist - how you to watermark your images easily with a simple text watermark using Photoshop or a similar graphics editing program
  • Warning! For all artists using watermarks to protect their art - There is an imminent threat to all artists, art galleries and photographers that have been using watermarks to protect images with a commercial value.

How to find stolen content

Practical Things You Can Do:
  • reverse search for your images (see See How to do a reverse image search on this website)
  • use plagiarism search tools like Copyscape (note this is a fee based product - see FAQS)
  • use Google Alerts for any brand name associated with your artwork
REFERENCE: 
  • Finding Stolen Content and Copyright Infringements | Lorelle on WordPress - This posts looks at how to find out if someone has stolen your content.
  • Plagiarism on Facebook - a case study about what happened when an individual started to identify other people's artwork as her own
  • How to do a reverse image search | Making A Mark - There are two easy options for doing a reverse image search:* Tineye* Google Reverse Image Search. I guess most will be familiar with the former - but maybe not the latter?
  • If you don't want your artwork stolen | Making A Mark - Artists can learn a lot about how to handle copyright issues from photographers. That's because the frequency of copyright infringements in relation to photography is far higher than it is for artwork

    COPYRIGHT ALERT!
    Tell me about a site or post which should be included on this page

Submit
Note: I'm not a lawyer and you should not rely on any assertions I make as legal advice. I'm just an ordinary artist and writer who is trying to make sense of copyright in relation to visual art - and what artists can do if their copyright is infringed and/or others act in such a way as to create orphan works from their copyright protected artwork. These pages organises links to what seem to me to be relevant websites. If you need the help of a lawyer you should engage a professional.

GO TO HOME

​GO TO COPYRIGHT - Introduction
  • Copyright and artists' rights
  • Copyright infringement and fair use - for artists 
  • How to protect artwork online
  • How to do a reverse image search 
  • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists 
  • Global Conventions on Copyright
  • Copyright in the UK
  • Copyright in the USA
  • Copyright in Australia
ABOUT ART BUSINESS INFO. FOR ARTISTS
This website aims to provide a compendium of resources about the art business for artists. Please read "PLEASE NOTE"

It helps artists learn how to do better at being business-like, marketing and selling their art and looking after their financial security.
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If you've got any suggestions for what you'd like to see on this website please send me your suggestion
PLEASE NOTE:
1) Content and the law change all the time. It's impossible to keep up with it if you're not working on the topic full time. 
​2) I research topics carefully. However, I am totally unable to warrant that 
ANY and/or ALL information is 
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​3) Hence all information I provide comes without any LIABILITY whatsoever to you for any choices you make. 
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  • Home
    • Art Business Information Index
  • NEWS
  • PRACTICE
    • Starting Out - Tips
    • Being a Professional artist >
      • Working Lives of Professional Artists
      • Artists' Side Hustles
      • Artists' Residencies
      • Artists Unions
    • Best Art Business Books
    • Learning Opportunities >
      • Art Schools in the UK
      • Art Business Courses
    • Image Management for Artists >
      • How to photograph art
      • How To Scan Artwork
      • How to back up image files
    • Law for Artists >
      • Legal Matters
      • Data Protection for Art and Artists
      • Brexit Guidance for Art and Artists
    • Business Management for Artists >
      • Risk Management for Artists
      • How to spot Art Scams / Fraud
      • Life in an Art Market Recession
      • Coronavirus COVID-19 and Art
  • MARKETING
    • How to write an Artist's Statement >
      • What is an Artist Statement?
      • Why you need an Artist's Statement
      • TIPS How to write an artist statement
      • The Language of an Artist's Statement
      • What an artist statement should contain
      • Examples of Artists Statements
    • How to write an Artist's Resume or CV >
      • Social Media summaries
      • CV for Artists
      • Resume for Artists
      • Biography for Artists
    • How to sign a painting, drawing or fine art print
    • Business Cards for Artists
    • How to write a press release for an artist
    • The Private View Invitation
    • Publicity for Juried Exhibitions
    • Websites for Artists >
      • Why websites matter
      • Options for Websites
      • Web content for Artists
      • Web design for artists
      • Keeping Google Happy
      • Writing for the Web
    • Image & Video sizes for Social Media Sites
    • How to be mobile-friendly
  • SELL ART
    • Trading Law & Regulations for Artists (UK)
    • E-commerce for artists
    • Art Exhibitions & Competitions >
      • Juried Exhibitions & Art Competitions
      • Juried Art Exhibition Checklist for Artists
      • How to cost a juried exhibition entry
      • How to make labels for an art exhibition
    • A Guide to Art Agents and Consultants
    • A Guide to Art Dealers & Galleries >
      • How to find the right gallery
    • The Artist-run Gallery
    • The Vanity Gallery
    • Art Fairs
    • Alternative Options for Exhibitions
    • How to Sell Art from Home
    • Open Studios
  • FRAME ART
    • List of Recommended Picture Framers
    • Conservation Products
    • Framing for open exhibitions and art competitions
    • Framing Videos
    • How to hang a picture
  • SHIP ART
    • How to pack artwork >
      • How to pack and ship pastel paintings
    • Packaging materials
    • How to ship art internationally >
      • Rules of Origin
      • Export Licences for Cultural Goods
    • How to ship art to exhibitions
    • How to mail art - Post & Parcel Services
    • UK & Ireland: Art Transport Services
    • USA Art Transport Services
  • COPYRIGHT
    • Copyright and artists' rights
    • BASICS: Copyright Infringement and Fair Use
    • How to protect artwork online
    • How to do a reverse image search
    • What to do about copyright infringement - for artists
    • Global Conventions on copyright >
      • Copyright in the UK
      • Copyright in the USA
      • Copyright in Canada
      • Copyright in Australia
  • MONEY & TAX
    • How to work out profit from an art sale
    • How to Price Your Art >
      • How important is price when buying art?
      • Options for Pricing Art
      • Terminology and Formulas for Pricing Art
      • Art Experts on Pricing Art
      • How artists price their art
      • The price of affordable art
    • Payments to Artists >
      • Paying Artists
      • How to create an Invoice
    • VAT for Artists
    • Tax Tips for Artists >
      • Tax on prize money
      • UK Tax Tips for Artists
      • UK: Self-Assessment Video Tips
      • USA Tax Tips for Artists
      • Ireland: Tax for Artists
      • Australia: Tax Tips for Artists
    • Insurance for Art and Artists >
      • Insurance for Art Teachers
      • UK Insurance Policies for art and artists
      • USA & Canada: Insurance Policies for Art and Artists
    • Artists' Grants & Scholarships
    • Retirement and Pensions for Artists
    • The Art Legacy >
      • Estate Planning for Artists
      • Estate Planning for Art Collectors
      • Famous Artists Estates
      • Artwork Inventory
      • After the Death of an Artist
      • Copyright and Resale Rights after Death
      • Art and Inheritance Tax
  • About + Help
    • Would you like me to help?
    • Privacy & Cookies Policy
    • Contact