Protect Your Photos With Copyright Law

FROM THE OFFICES OF LESLEY ELLEN HARRIS Copyright, New Media Law & E-Commerce News 29 August 2016 ISSN 1489-954X Protect Your Photos With Copyright Law Your copyright protection begins the moment you take a photo with your smartphone, iPad or SLR camera. Once that image is saved, whether on your phone, a memory card or otherwise, it’s automatically protected by copyright. This means that you don’t have to do anything specific to obtain copyright protection. You don’t need to place the copyright symbol © on the image or register the photo with the U.S. Copyright Office (or if you are in Canada, with the Canadian Copyright Office). However, you can do both of these things and more to ensure maximum copyright protection, easier enforcement of your rights, and greater remedies for unauthorized uses.  Be Proactive! If you’re printing or emailing your photos to share with your aunt or a friend, you likely don’t need to register the photos or place the copyright symbol on them. If you’re planning to sell your photos or placing them online, and you would like to enforce your rights against any unauthorized uses, then you should consider taking steps to better protect your images. Keep in mind that when it comes to copyright protection, there are no fail-safe methods of ensuring that only those who have your permission will reproduce your images. However, there are proactive steps you can take, whether you are a professional or amateur photographer, to protect your images, monitor inappropriate uses, and take action against unauthorized uses of your images. Best Practices Best practices for protecting your photos include using the copyright symbol, registering images with the U.S. Copyright Office, monitoring use of your images and taking the time to understand the exclusive rights of the copyright owner in their images. These best practices are discussed in a post published on CG PROPRINTS. Click here to access the post, Protect Your Photos With Copyright Law. Copyright, New Media & E-Commerce News is distributed for free by Lesley Ellen Harris, www.copyrightlaws.com. Information contained herein should not be relied upon or considered as legal advice. Copyright 2016 Lesley Ellen Harris. Please share!