copyright question

[CatchingUp]

Certainly there has to be a few threads buried on this topic. When you set up an online gallery, be it for business or personal use, what are some basic steps or issues that one should cover to protect their work?

I'd be tickled if anyone could point me in the right direction if there are existing threads here on this already.

Thanks

[nikonthree]

This is a great place to start. Best of all its free ;)

http://creativecommons.org/

[liza]

You can't really protect it if it's on the internet, although you can make it harder for them to get to it. Putting a watermark on it or right click protection are two things that come to mind. Using flash is another way to address it. If people want to take the image, though, they'll find a way.

[nikonthree]

What liza says is a great point and very true.. Especially this quote "If people want to take the image, though, they'll find a way."

[kevin_c]

You can use all the 'tricks in the book' with right-click protection and using flash, but all you have to do is use the 'print screen' button on a PC and you have a copy of a page and any image on it.
A watermark does help a bit, but to make it really hard work for anyone you need one that is quite visible and across the main subject in the pic, and this detracts from the image IMO.
Don't post them too big is my advice - but if you put it on the internet, expect it to be used/stolen!

[Turntablist]

kevin_c pretty much said it all.

basically, the only real way of not getting your image taken is to not post it on the internet at all.

[grego]

Never a full way. Put a water mark. I like to keep the main subject untouched though. However, if you are on the internet in a sense even though people steal, its easy to get caught up.

The internet is a good thing and bad thing at the same time. I have seen this a lot of times with art being coppied and then getting caught on other forums.