How to Copyright Photos

 

Shot a picture, put it on the internet, and discovered it on someone else's website? This is the time to learn how to copyright your photo. It is easier than ever to put your photos on the internet. Unfortunately, it is also so easy for others to take and use those photos without your concern. Fortunately, copyright law is made to secure real creators. Just only by taking a photograph, you have the right to that photo—even if you don't put a copyright or trademark symbol. However, knowing how to utilize those rights and laws is another story. When you want to record your copyright, or just secure that intended content thieves already know that you know where you stand, you have options. Here's what knowledge you need to protect your ownership of your photos. At first, you have to know what is copyright of a photo.

 

What Is Copyright?

When you apply copyright to a picture, that means that you have an exclusive right to reproduce the creation, to do derivative works based on it, to distribute copies, and to project it in public.

In the US, when you take a photo, you automatically have the copyright of the photo. However, this isn't the case if you've been authorized to take the photographs by an employer. They would take the copyright since they're footing the bill.

 

How to Copyright Photo

 

 

1. If you decide to register your copyright of a defined picture, go to copyright.gov and click Register a Copyright.
   
   
   
2. Next, you need to define that you want to copyright a picture. On the next screen, click the Register a picture link.
   
   
   
3. Now you'll have to create a new user account when you've done this and logged in.
   
   
   
4. Click Register a New Claim. Read out the three questions in the next part carefully and answer them to start the registration process. 
   
   
   
5. You're then asked to select the Type of Work you want to register for. Choose Work of the Visual Arts from the dropdown menu. Filling it out in as many details as possible.
   
   
   
6.  Anything you exclude is only going to slow the process later on, so it's best to be thorough. Once you've given the Copyright Office all the information it requires, you need to pay the $35 fee (if you're registering a single photograph) and send them a copy of the photograph.
7. Now anyone will be able to check if your work is copyrighted.

 

What Is Poor Man's Copyright?

You may have known of "poor man's copyright," which some posit as a normal alternative to proper copyright registration. The idea is that you register the creation date of the media using a different source, such as a notary, via an email, or another method that establishes ownership at a specific time. While poor man's copyright can help conduct legal ownership in countries without the strong copyright law, there are no facilities or safety in US copyright law for this method. Another thing you should have heard about is the copyleft.

 

How to Enforce a Copyright Claim

 

The most dangerous way to secure your copyright is to get in touch with a lawyer and issue a copyright infringement lawsuit. However, mostly, that won't be necessary. If you are happy with someone using your photograph without your permission, but you want the commission, get in touch with the owner of the website. In most cases, if you explain your side, they'll be happy to comply to keep the photo intact. However, if you already decide that you want the photo taken down, it's best to issue the legal consequences. You should write up a cease-and-desist letter or have a lawyer do so on your behalf. A DMCA takedown notice may be a simpler option. You can find millions of templates online, like this from IP Watchdog.

The two techniques above are good choices if you find out your picture or content published on a blog or a smaller print publication. If it's a large entity, like a famous magazine or website, it might be worth sending them an invoice at your normal price. These magazine or website companies have a budget for photos, so they might rather pay up than deal with the hassle.

 

Can You Use a Watermark to Copyright a Photo?

 

If you don't want to pay to register a copyright, you do have another option to secure your content. Placing a watermark over your photograph doesn't do much to increase your legal position, but it does offer major benefits,

That is, those who violates the copyright cannot claim ignorance, which might discourage them from using your work.

 

A properly placed watermark will require some normal editing if whoever is violating your copyright doesn't want to give you credit. The correct method for a copyright watermark is the word "copyright" or the copyright symbol followed by the year it was created and the name of the creator. To make a copyright watermark, open up your picture in your favorite picture editing software. If you don't have a picture editor installed, check out these free online picture editing tools instead. Add a text element with your copyright trademarks. It's worth choosing a thicker, bolder font that's going to take up as much space on your content.