http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/imagepages/image110.php does this picture remind you of something ? cause it does to me, it is Yamato's picture hosted here in his gallery, except for the lousy compresison and the logo/watermark of this website: www.maxim.art.prv.pl that redirect to : http://www.artfan.net/ please renderosity artists, check in the 3d gallery here: http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/index.php in case any of your art too was stolen i can say it is stolen and they have no authorisation, else mister yamato for example would not have allowed such lousy compression/size reduction, nor they would have dare to credit themselves without a word for the initial artist thanx a lot for paying attention

hmm maybe the galleries here need an adjustment. to stop that from happening.

Perhaps Yamato gave permission. Since after all it is a "fan site". Lousy compressioon? It looks just as good as his original gallery post. I dont see anything that suggest credit is being stolen. Although there is that url addy that has been included as part of the image. But in fact, they all have that URL included with the image. Pete

Looks like one of that darn collection sites that pop up everywhere. I doubt they got permission from all the artists to display their work on that page. Maybe posting the link to the copyright forum would be a good idea.

well i'm sorry if i jumped out on conclusions, but i know that usually, japanese artits are not much concerned about westerner activities (no judgment, it is just a casual fact) and also as i love yamato's work, i sure was a bit more upset about a "possible" theft that i would have with anything else :) that's why i stated in the title that i would like yamato to read and answer about it it is not as if it was the 1st art theft we see here out of a RO gallery/artist, so i dont think we should react naively as if it couldn't posibly happen, anyway :)

hmm maybe the galleries here need an adjustment. to stop that from happening. There's no possibility to keep people from copying images except stop posting images on the web. Another way is to insert watermarks that are displayed over the whole image which I've already seen in the Poser gallery. However that might ruin the image. ;) Just my two cents. Anyway many thanks Riddokum for posting the link. Phil

One of the images on the first page is of 'Yuki Terai', famous japanese cyberidol, and I see no credit given to Ken-ichi Kutsugi which makes me v skeptical that this is a genuine website. I don't really see how this kind of thing can be prevented, anything you can look at on the web can be copied if you know how.

last time they tried to restrict downloading of images, it caused a sheissturm of immense proportions. I couldn't even download my own stuff..there's digital watermarks, signatures, etc, that can be employed..

You cannot 'restrict' downloading of images. As Hawke points out - once its viewed, it can be saved. It is called a web cache and every browser uses it. The only way to avoid that would be for the browser to employ encryption of the cache... and then there is still screen capture... ;) ... and then there is digital photography... ;> ...

there are several in that gallery that I've seen around (Just cannot remember who's they are) http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/imagepages/image96.php this one was from a screen saver. I remember because I had it on my computer and have been trying to find it since I lost it http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/imagepages/image31.php (and if anyone knows where i can find the screensaver again please let me know) http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/imagepages/image110.php (Yamato's) this one my brother has backed up because he liked it so much.

I think you can watermark images with an invisble "watermark" so there's no need to overlay your name over the whole image... It's just some info inserted on the file structure, that stays there displaying the owner of the copyright, and wherever the image goes, and whatever editing the image suffers, it stays in the code and can be checked for copyright issues... can't remember any program right now. But i'm quite sure it can be done... Anyway, I think it's a commercial program, so it's use is only for people willing to protect their own artwork... But who knows, maybe there are freeware programs....? My 2 cents... (of euro!) :D

my two cents:

the gallery images exposed on this site are under specific TOS and under right of their makers/artists.

of course you can technically copy anything you want, but if you take it from here, and then distribute it on your own website with YOUR watermark, withotu credit or permision, it is made ON PURPOSe and it is just the gamble you bet on that NOBODY who know the original sorue would ever spot you

if you get caught, you loose ! it is a gamble, you can not win every time !

so keep on trying, keep stealign pictures from ehre and there, just know that as you do it on purpose with crude/rude manners, don't expect people to show mercy if they discover you !

period !

ikercito some watermarks that stay in the image structure can be wiped out: just adjust and convert the picture in a paint software and hop, gone ! some other way is a subtle watermark, that does not ruin the image (hard) AND also does not seem to be a watermark and just a genuine part of the picture (a tatoo, a symbol etc, not on front layer and such) and that no video adjustmeent (minor postwork) or compression will wipe out :)

What harm can they do? To get a reasonable print for a 4x5 inch postcard, you need 1064x1330 pixels, and not a for the web reduced jpg. They cannot make money from it, so all they can steal is your ego. Which in itself isn't bad as ego stand in the way for real inspiration. You can prevent images from downloading to the cache, you can protect bandwidth but you can never stop screenprints. It is not honest, but in the long run they mainly fool themselves. Back to reorganising my Runtimes...

It's not just stealing the ego. It contributes to diluting of one's brand especially of they sell their art. It is pure theft. Ego has nothing to do with it.

Wish I could afford to be so sanguine about my work being used elsewhere, Aeneas. I do, after all, do this for a living (or a supplement to living). RC

Riddokun, the watermark I was refering to, as I said is invisible, it's not something you can "crop out" of the picture or edit anyway. It's just some additional info (like an EXIF tag) that is hardcoded into the file structure and can even be traced around the www. This way the person that "steals"/"takes borrowed" your image can edit, crop, or alter it whichever way he wants, while the digital watermark stays inside the file, he won't even know it is there... and even if he knows there's little he can do to remove it. At least that's what i understand from reading this website: http://www.digimarc.com/watermark/imagebridge/ It's the same company that created the Digimarc plugin for photoshop (that I've never used...). Hope this info helps anyone with copyright issues... Ike.

You can also add steganography. By the way, some of those images are quite blatantly stolen, with copyright/signature information badly blacked out or edited out. RC

Here's some work that site does NOT have permission to use Cover art for Dragonsdawn http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/fantasy/imagepages/image93.php Cover for White Dragon http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/new/imagepages/image389.php also saw promo art for the Final Fantasy movie along with art from Shrek and Finding Nemo

Here's an example of why I think this is deliberate art theft: http://www.artfan.net/jpg/tapety/3d/imagepages/image115.php Charlie, I'm nigh certain that the big guns (publishing companies and Pixar/Disney) would love to see this site, don't you? ;) RC

ikercito digimarc watermarks can be removed. I won't say how though

Micheal Wehlan is the cover artist of both books I noted and the Final Fantasy pic still has the copyright statement the clearly states "All Rights Reserved"

Attached Link: http://www.daz3d.com/support/tutorial/index.php?id=1039

A Digimarc watermark can be easily removed. I've experimented with it and figured out how to do it in just a few tries. Didn't even take any particular skill, just playing around in Photoshop. Furthermore, you have to pay an annual fee to even be able to embed a Digimarc watermark. They used to have a free annual subscription with limited use that was handy for some people, but now you pay or you don't use the software, and you pay every year to keep using it. Thieves don't give a damn about invisible watermarks, either. Why should they? They can't see it, don't know it's there, they grab the image and cut it up or whatever, who cares about the invisible watermark? It's easy enough to prove that something is your own original work, with or without the Digimarc thingy. *shrug* No, I'm not a fan of Digimarc, in case you can't tell. Your mileage may vary, but I think it's a huge waste of money. I use a subtle visible watermark and stamp my URL on images. The combination will deter casual thieves and tube-makers and such. It's no guarantee because there aren't any, but since I started using the watermark on an important part of the figure, I haven't seen my work 'tubed' or otherwise used in appropriately. That's not to say it's not happening, only that it's infrequent enough that it's not common and I haven't encountered it. If anyone's interested, I have a tutorial on my watermarking technique at DAZ (link attached). bonni

Mmm... so it can be removed, what a silly thing to pay for then...!! But, only if you know it's there... and what about the "tracing" thingy they talk about on the website mentioned above? I'm sure it's not hacker-safe at all (nothing is!). Well, I'm with elizabyte, it's easy enough to prove you're the creator (if you can find the CDs you backed up your work to!) I've never used Digimarc anyway, thought of it once, but dumped the idea after seeing the price to pay! Now I know I'll never pay for it, I'll just follow her tutorial. :D

To track down images that have the Digimarc watermark you would need to subscribe to Digimarc's own image spider and that is really expensive. They do not offer it for free and never did.

Oh, i know... I was not pointing all this as a free service. I know how expensive Digimarc is!! I only meant that it can be done, that there are ways of ensuring (more or less) your contents.

what about the "tracing" thingy they talk about on the website mentioned above? It costs a fortune to get that service from Digimarc. Basically anything/everything you do with Digimarc costs plenty. I think that for SOME purposes it may well be worth it, but for most people and small businesses, but for most people, it's not going to be. bonni

actually, you can have beautifully displayed clean images and yet if someone downloads them they get one with a huge watermark that cannot be removed. needs server configuration to be done. the script displays the images but the image downloaded is redirect to a watermarked one. Boris & Bell have it working on thier site.

You can set up images so that they're actually the background image in a table, and over the top is a clear .gif. People right click to download the image and if they're not paying attention, they get the gif instead of the underlying image. You can also buy a program that uses JavaScript to encrypt the page and do funky things with the images. You can do all kinds of things to make it harder on them, but none of the abovementioned things will work if you post at Renderosity or any other site... ;-) bonni

and the javascript won't work if client has it disabled. nope, Renderosity would have to include something like that in thier Gallery scripts for it to work when posting here.

Actually. R'sity did employ a "no right click" script in the galleries very briefly. Many, many people complained, and loudly, because they use their right mouse button to navigate (I know I do!), and suddenly they found their preferred method of gallery navigation unusable. Didn't take long before R'sity changed it back. ;-) bonni

The only solution that I ever heard of that might be really effective was one that required anyone viewing the image th have a browser plug-in. It encrypted the image before it even hit the display adapter. It was one of those places where they don't list the price upfront. Anything that worked perfectly would be too expensive for the average person to use. Even those with one of the best deterrents of theft, a staff of lawyers, still has to use them regularly.

Thank you Riddokun. Sorry for delayed reply.I've just noticed here. I'm not sure I gave a permission or not. Usually I give a permission anyone who request. But I don't remember.... When I visited the site .I found many pictures from NET. Some are from "DEAD or ALIVE" demonstration images that are never permitted. I'll contact with the site.

hmm what do you mean about "dead or alive" exactly ? (sorry but those words always wake me up in a flash :)

lmckenzie : the only two solutions i know are: 1) put a visible yet unremovable watermark right in the middle of the picture (or in a place there it will make the picture imposible to crop), but the watermark can be annoying... or as i suggested , a detail taht is caracteristic of your work, and is sort of watermark (a tatto, a hidden signature or logo or symbol in the background, or anything 2) make art that is so stunnign and good quality that you have far enough fans of what you do to ever report you any problem regarding your picture being stolen :) Yamato is one of the few people/artists that finally made up my mind and starting poser at frantic rate :) Yamato is the only guy who ever made me spend some money to DAZ fro mmy really empty purse to buy one of their product (i wanted Tenten, i took v2 :)... oh and oups i did it again: i took aiko because of his new character for her :) Yamato is the first one who managed to make decent thing out of posette and judy (cancan and anan)... annoying him is annoying MY world :) and i dont like being annoyed (sorry for the fanboy routine... it is just true. i really like very much his asiatic characters...) i am sure we all have one artist or rosity member whom work we really love and respect high enough to ever feel ourselves concerned would they be spoiled and stolen their art :)