there's a way to not let people steal online art right? when they right-click to do "save as..." you can have it not work. for instance, on the vue site, there are some movies made to showcase animations. if you try to right click-->open, it says "left click if you please" making it impossible to "save as" anything. now this won't cure the problem, but short of them asking you to send images personally through e-mail, or doing a screen print, would this not fix some of the problems? if anyone has some ideas how we can stop theivery (sp) in the future, post it here. let's get creative... it's what we do. ren

Dont publish any of your work on the web that the only real solution.

the left click is most likley javascript and can be disabled in the browser.

The anti right-click schemes are easy to get around. And there's still the issue of cache sifting and screen captures.

I think the only practical solution is what was suggested: watermark your images. The price you pay is that your image isn't seen under optimal viewing conditions.

Realistically speaking, we can't stop this kind of theft outright. The best we could hope for is to slow it down... If someone is hell bent on stealing your stuff, they'll find a way to do it.

nukem

wheres that at on the vue site by the way i'm not seeing it

as a matter of fact the movie they have on this page http://www.e-onsoftware.com/Gallery/Gallery.php you can right click on and choose save as source and save the movie.

There's another trick whereby the browser displays a transparent image over the real one, and all right-clicking and using 'save as' does is save the transparent image. There's always a way around, though, if someone is determined enough. If you absolutely have to post, the safest way is to post a low-res version, 72 dpi and 640 x 480 (say), and keep your >2000 dpi large version to yourself or distributed only as hard copy prints.

"right-clicking and using 'save as' does is save the transparent image" print screen button on keyboard.

"Dont publish any of your work on the web that the only real solution." Correct. If it's displayed on your computer, it's somewhere in your computer, and anyone with enough savvy can find it.

You can't, so change your attitude. Feel complimented when someone thinks your work is so good they want to steal it (and then sue the b*@d!).

There is actually a Java Script that can be applied to web pages that actually keeps people from right clicking ond/or dragging images to the desktop.

galactron, that is not a solution. The image is already stored in your computer once it's displayed on screen. All you have to do is find it.

You will find the images in your internet temp folders!

The only way someone can steal my work is to come into my apartment and take it off the wall........ an act I would NOT recommend !!!

Even if you prevent right-click "set as background" or "copy", the viewer can still grab it with a good screen capture program, right? I know of no way to prevent the capture and reuse of anything posted on a webpage. It may not be appropriate for what you are doing, but we limit the viewing of proprietary documents on our commercial site with passwords. Here are a couple ideas: 1. Post your gallery in a password-protected section of your website. You control the password and thus who sees it. 2. Allow anyone to see a low-resolution or watermarked version of your art. Provide a download version of the art in a password encrypted zip file. You handout the password. Of course, password-protected pages and downloads aren't the best way to showoff your work.

As I proposed in a previous theft topic, cut the thieving b$%^$'s hands off and slap them with the soggy end.

Any older web browser like netscape 3 that dosn't use the newest forms of javascript can see and right click any image. The scripting is just ignored.

I've been to a lot of 'professional' art sites ( you do it to put food on the table, and not only for fun), and they disable the right-click altogether..another trick they use is to post it as a thumbnail, or not much larger, even a screen cap is going to degrade the image if it's blown up much. Putting a high price under each pic (there's one site I saw out there that went to 14-30k US, and that ain't chump change)..large notices about copyright, threats against theft (one site had something to the effect of 'I prosecute everyone, I will come after you, I have lawyers,etc.). Some folks put outsized signatures on their works, but I think that detracts from the enjoyment of same..especially if it's dead center (no names, please..;). Finally, if you actually are having folks take things, you might want to set up a fee for downloads, and get some money off them. As long as the art is copywrited, you've got a chance to get after them. If you need to, contact their ISP, if you can find it, and lean on them..they're usually pretty accomodating about that. Hope this helps.

I can think of three ways to get around no-right-click scripts using Internet Explorer. None of them take any special expertise, and there are probably more ways (I just thought of three right off the top of my head). The script only discourages the clueless or those who are really technically unsavvy. I have never, ever seen one of those "disable right click" scripts that works in Opera, and half of them don't work in Netscape. So there's another option, just use a different browser (and Opera is free, as is Netscape). In other words, there is NO way to keep people from getting anything they want to get. It is currently technically impossible. A visible watermark that is well worked into the picture is your best bet. Thieves generally go for stuff they can easily alter by cropping, cloning out the signature, or cutting out the background. If you use a visible watermark with that in mind, you can at lesat discourage the improper use of your images. You can't prevent people from taking them, though, and quite frankly, there's nothing illegal in keeping a copy for private and personal use (i.e., not redistributed or used in any way other than strictly privately). bonni

He who steals my art steals trash... ;-) Actually, I did have something of mine "borrowed" by a site once, my mermaid painting, but most of my artwork isn't up to the standards required to be stolen, I guess. Different story on my mesh, though. Just like most of the guys who sell stuff, there is lots of my stuff in the Warez channels. I don't let it bother me, though, life is to short, and honest people don't steal. Whis leads me to suggest, what are you loosing if somebody steals your artwork? Other than the pride aspect of either having your work unatributed or claimed by another? Are you loosing sales? Have you ever sold your artwork? Do you ever plan on selling it? Forgive me for suggesting this, but I think it is more of a non-subject. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it should be allowed, or honest people should ever think of doing it, I'm just saying it is a minor problem as problems go. Now that I think of it, there was a guy around about a year and a half ago that was also claiming my mesh as his work, so I've seen that side of it too. What ever happened to him, I sometimes wonder?

With the right browser you can get past any page protection, IE6 has a special tool bar on each image, which will let you download even if you've disabled the right click, "save as " option. Then there's the browser I use, (Firebird) which will allow you to save out embeded page objects like flash and/or movies, etc. It has it's own menu on the tool bar. (Just one of it's many cute tools :) So it is fairly pointless, you can't stop it, you don't want it lifted, don't put it up in the first place. later jb

To repeat what I said in a previous thread, none of these 'disable right-click', etc ideas work. Because you don't even need to go into the cache or make screen caps. All you do is save the bloody web page, complete with image and uncle Tom Cobbley and all and all! ALT-F-A. That's all it takes. mac

Sign it. Bottom right (or left, but right is more conventional), sitck your name / logo there. Just like all the old canvas based artists used to do. That will force people to remove / edit out that part of the picture. Makes copyright infringment more difficult, and acts as a deterrent. Also it's good for artist identification, and will help build a 'brand' identity. Anything else is doomed to fail. There is no way to stop me from saving images of your website, if I want to do it. There can't be - to view the thing, I have to be able to get it - that's the way the web works.

i don't really plan on having a large gallery online or anything, but i do plan on posting images and asking for feedback on how i can make it better. no i don't really plan on selling any still images, so as far as problems go it's pretty minor, but i still take exception to people taking my own art and using it as their own. it's not the money, it's the principle behind it. i guess the old fashioned watermark is the best bet. chances are, if they're good enough to edit out the watermark entirely, they probably aren't stealing work in the first place. thanks all!

Attached Link: http://www.alchemedia.com/benefits/technology.html

This here puppy's (Mirage) supposed to do the trick - see their blurb below. Of course, your visitors have to get the client for this to work. The technology sounds logical but the price? Well, if you have to ask... Adobe supposedly has something similar in the new versions of Acrobat which allow you to created protected PDF files that prevent copying their content. "When an application (e.g., a Web Browser) receives a Mirage protected document, it renders it still encrypted to the screen. Mirage Client monitors data being written to the screen, and decrypts the protected data en route to the video memory only. As the data is only in the clear on the screen, all unauthorized attempts to copy, forward, save or print a document will capture the encrypted data from the RAM only. Similarly, Mirage Client uses patented technology to ensure that all attempts to screen capture the decrypted data from the video memory fail (whether using the Print Screen button or 3rd-party screen scrapers)."

Note that anything that makes your images harder to view (like having to have a special client) will make it less likely that your images will be seen at all, and that may not be what you really want. Unless this thing (Mirage) becomes extremely popular and the client is included (free) with Windows, it will never fly with the general public. It certainly can have specialized uses though.

Attached Link: http://www.omniformat.com/

I agree completely, Spit. This is mainly going to be of interest to corporate types who have the bucks to afford it and clients who will have an incentive to use the client. You might want to take a look at this link. One of the functions of this freeware app is "Digital Rights Management," which says it will add copy protection for images in a pdf file. Adobe is listed as one of the technology partners of the Mirage people so the technology may be similar. In this case, the client is Acrobat reader which is pretty widely installed though I believe it has to be version 5 or later. If it actually worked, you couls simply put each image in a pdf. I'd be interested in seeing what it actually does especially for free,) but the DL's a bit big just to satisfy my curiousity. At any rate, your point is well taken. The more intrusive you make the protection, the more you defeat the purpose of having people view the images to begin with. You have find a compromise position. Since the people who are doing the large scale ripping and reposting are probably the people who know the most tricks, you're mainly going to be thwarting the rather more benign (IMO) people who just want to use the picture for wallpaper or save it to view again. That would seem to argue in favor of just putting it up there, which I know galls many people. But hey, I don't have a gallery so I shouldn't comment anyway.

Attached Link: http://http://www.bobstaake.com/copyno/support.shtml

Ran across this tonight. Might be of interest to some.

unfortunantly due to screen capture programs and Print screen there is no way to prevent people from getting the image. No matter what you do. someone figure out how to disable those and artwork will be safer

Personally, I do the artwork just for the fun and challenge. I really could careless what happens to my images after I post them, except that others get a chance to view them. When I am asked to do something for money, it doesn't get posted by me, as I don't see it as my property. Now, I don't look at this as theft, but every month I like to include a picture with my mortgage payment (owner financed, nice people). Ususally, my own work, but I often like to work with subject matter that wouldn't be appropriate, so I'll send something off the web, or a quick fractal image. My intentions aren't criminal, the pictures I send most likely are thrown in the trash... How can you enjoy doing artwork, if you are afraid to show it or share it?