ArtWanted.com Staff 12 Oct 2009

We realize that some browsers do allow the right click and we are not able to completely stop all of them from doing so. Even if we could there are other methods to copy images from any website on the internet. However, we have taken other steps to deter theft of images. We also suggest that all members put a copyright or watermark on the image prior to uploading.

We hope our members know that we have done everything we can to keep their artwork as safe as possible. We also think that most members feel that the exposure for the artist from our site outweighs the chance of theft of their images.

susan kinney 12 Oct 2009

i do know you try..but there are other codes to use for other browsers. and im not so sure watermarking will help cuz anyone who knows how to manipulate could smudge it out.......anyway..i know the only way to be 100% safe is to not be here at all. but when someone leaves me a comment about stealing my work, i just felt the need to say something. :)

susan :)

Helena-Sophia Exel 12 Oct 2009

Same here.

Since three years I have the exposure. Yet the only thing that happens is that people right-click and save My work to print it. Today was the first time I tested it for My Self. I was able to right-click save an image and open it to find out that the resolution was 300dpi. That is not low res alt all. True, it is the responsibility of the artist to make sure his work is copyrighted. Why are there not FBI Warnings on Artwanted that tell people that there are fines and prison for stealing copyrighted work. Why is a motion picture or DVD any different than My work. Copyright is Copyright, Right? The other thing is that You could stamp the images with an Artwanted seal that cannot be removed.

I will cover My bases now and ponder about the right response.

Helena-Sophia Exel

susan kinney 12 Oct 2009

i have never tried snagging my own images from here..but i always assummed what we saw online was a 72ppi give or take of our work. ... the images are so small i just thought they were copys of what we upload for print. i have a cafepress store too and the images auto thumbnail but once you look at them bigger they have a SAMPLE stamped on them that is done automatic. ....i think there are safer options out there that AW should look into. if other sites can do all that..why cant AW?

susan :)

Sharon Simmons 13 Oct 2009

hi, I'm glad I'm obviously not the only one who got this.... sorry- I can't right click to paste on IE, but my pictures can still get copied, and I've just been sent an email to prove it. We need images automatically watermarked by AW. I know it can put people off, but if they were all the same it would look more professional and acceptable. Software should be put in place to show a 72dpi image, no bigger than 600x600,with an automated copyright watermark imbedded into it. Visitors do not need full size images to decide if they want a print, that is only necessary for the print department. I seriously do not relish the thought of having to go over 100+ pics to shrink and watermark them, and still have to upload the larger files so they could be printed....although as another member remarked, in almost 2 years I have never sold so much as a postcard on AW, SO I'M SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING WHETHER IT'S WORTH THE HASSLE, AW administrators take note please. I do hope this gets some positive action reasonably soon...

Sharon

Anneke Hut 13 Oct 2009

I don't want watermarks on my images and I don't want small 600x600 pictures.

susan kinney 13 Oct 2009

your images only show up at 600x600 no matter how big you send in your file...that was why i had assummed they were only copys of the print file. ...perhaps if they had a check box option for auto marking like we have for printing and print sizes. i have a lot of work here and i agree..thats a lot of redueing..and if i have to redue everything, i would consider moving to another site. i like AW just fine but i dont make even enough to scratch the cost of the fees....so, if something isnt working it may just mean its not the right place for me and i need to try something different....

ArtWanted.com Staff 13 Oct 2009

We understand that each member has their own thoughts and personal preferences about posting their artwork on the Internet. Many artists would like to see larger images on ArtWanted.com, other members want smaller images, other members want watermarks and others do not. ArtWanted.com allows the artist to be in control of his/her own image preferences. If you want smaller images, then you can upload a smaller file. If you want a watermark, you can add your own personal watermark before you upload your images. We give our members to choice, depending on what file they upload.

Our right-click script is mostly to inform/remind the user of the copyright of that artwork. Any right-click script can be disabled or turned off by anyone who really wants to get your artwork. It’s like locking the front door to your home, but leaving your garage door and windows open. There are plenty of other ways to ‘steal’ artwork even with the right-click script in place. People can take a screen shot of their browser or even drag-n-drop the image to their desktop. In fact, every image you look at on the Internet (on any website) is downloaded to your computer automatically in your “Temporary Internet Files”, for faster surfing if you return to that same page later. The Internet was built around an open distribution platform, and no one has control over where their images will end up on the Internet, no matter what website you belong to. There is not an art site in the world where someone could not grab an image from that website and download, print or e-mail that image to someone else.

The best thing to do if you want to display your artwork on the Internet and reduce the chance of theft, is to add a personal watermark to your images. This way, no matter where they end up, or what someone does with the image, it will have a watermark on it. The watermark needs to be visible enough to be very hard or impossible to remove. At the same time, you don’t want it so visible that it totally distracts from the artwork. You have to find a good balance of security and visual appeal.

ArtWanted.com is working on an option to automatically add a watermark to the images that are uploaded in the near future. Some members may want use this feature when it becomes available, others may choose to create their own personal watermark and others may not want a watermark to distract from the image. Again, it’s a personal preference. We will take some time this month to create a tutorial on how to create a watermark for your images for those that would like this on their artwork.

Another thing that we suggest to our members, is to turn your artwork into a marketing piece for you. Many artists add their signature or copyright notice to the artwork which is great. But how about taking it a step further. What if you put your website address at the bottom of all the artwork you upload? This way, wherever your artwork ends up on the Internet, you will not only have your copyright notice on the image, but also a website address to point people to, if they are interested in your style of art/photography. This technique may actually drive more people to your portfolio.

We hope this post has been both informative and helpful to you to better understand art on the Internet and what options are available to you as an artist.

susan kinney 13 Oct 2009

thanks AW..i appreciate your post and information.... just so i got this correct, from now on i need to always upload two files..1 for print and 1 with watermark resized for web.

susan :)

ArtWanted.com Staff 13 Oct 2009

Yes, this what we suggest. A web file and a print file.

kim DeSocio 13 Oct 2009

at least i know i was not the only who got a comment like that .. i will have to take better care of my work from here on out!

Laurel Talabere 14 Oct 2009

I too am very concerned about this problem, and I received the same message. When using the IE browser, right-clicking works only in the Members Area [Actually, I think it should be blocked there as well because we all have our original images on our own computers so right-clicking in the members area serves no purpose.] However, when using the Foxfire (aka Mozilla) browser, right-clicking for copying is functional in all areas. AW, IS THERE NOT SOME WAY TO BLOCK RIGHT-CLICKING ON FOXFIRE?? Because I use IE, I did not realize this problem when I signed onto AW. There was no information in the AW policies that I saw that differentiated between browsers.

The IP address that came with the anonymous message is 74.243.245.71. Can't AW block this IP address? Another AW artist did some sleuthing and found specific information on the source of this IP address which I would be glad to share on request.

Finally, the images copies through Foxfire, using right-clicking, are NOT exactly low resolution. They copy at a minimum of 300 dpi, so it is misleading for AW to suggest that the image quality is too poor to be of concern.

I urge AW to give this problem their full and immediate attention. It is a huge concern!! Thanks in advance for anything you can do to block art theft through Foxfire on your website. Laurel Talabere laurelsbylaurel

Terry Bassett 14 Oct 2009

I shouldn't worry too much Laurel.. Here's a snip from your portfolio and, as you can see from the properties tab, the image is too small to make a decent sized print from it..

ArtWanted.com Staff 14 Oct 2009

Laurel - We will look into a way to turn on the right click for Firefox, but as we mentioned, it's like locking the front door to your house and leaving your garage & windows open. There are a dozens ways around any right-click script we put in place and no one should consider it a theft blocker or deterrent in any way.

Very few art websites have a right-click script on their site, because they realize how useless it really is to protect artwork. The main purpose of our right-click script is to inform/remind people about the artwork copyright.

The right-click script was recently removed from the members area, due to many requests from our members to do so. This was done as a convenience for our members and does not pose any security issues, as you have to be logged in as the artist to get to the members area.

As for the 300 DPI images, DPI does not really apply online, only in print. Online, images are measured in pixels. The largest portfolio image on ArtWanted.com is only 600x600 pixels. This means that when printed at 300 DPI, the image will only be 2 inches square. Too small for almost any professional purpose.

The purpose of our posts is to inform our members of reality and that a right-click script will do nothing to protect your artwork if someone wants to download or copy it. There are simply too many ways around it.

Laurel Talabere 15 Oct 2009

Hi AW,

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate the additional information. However, I am concerned about the findings of one of your artists who reported the following: "I downloaded one of my photos and it downloaded at 300 dpi at 2.5" x 1". It looked beautiful. I resized it in Photoshop to 10" x 7.5" and it STILL looked beautiful."

Could you please give me your thoughts on her experience and what the implications are for photo theft from AW?

Also, I hope you meant "turn off" right click rather than turn it on for Foxfire. I realize there are many ways to steal stuff off the internet, but leaving the right-click operative for Foxfire is like leaving the front door open with a welcome sign!!! Please make every effort to fix this problem. Thanks. Laurel Talabere

bert cortes 19 Oct 2009

Funny, some of you worry about having your work stolen and I worry because they don't steal mine...!! Like AW said sometime ago, if you don't want your work stolen, don't show it on the net. Even work for sale on eBay can be stolen if people want to do it. So, "Don't worry, be happy"

ArtWanted.com Staff 19 Oct 2009

Laurel - As we mentioned before, DPI is irrelevant on screen. A 600 x 600 pixel image will be 600x600 pixels, no matter what DPI or inches you scale the image to in Photoshop or any other computer program. It will always look the same on screen. The image has to be printed to compare DPI and quality. Resolution, pixels, image compression, image quality & DPI take a little time to fully understand in this digital world.

Any artwork on any website can be downloaded, printed and stolen. If you are not ok with this, you need to add very visible watermarks on all your images or do not post them on ANY website on the Internet. This is the only true way to stop theft of your images.

Leyla Murr 20 Oct 2009

Susan,

I think you should leave, there are safer sites out there, if you are so worried, I certainly would.

People are nasty pieces of work sometimes !

susan kinney 26 Oct 2009

I do not plan on leaving. I was just posting concerns and suggestions. AW can't be everywhere and know everything so I was just letting them know that it was possible to right-click in certain browsers. And also letting them know that there are codes for different browsers as well.

susan :)

Gina Lemelin 27 Oct 2009

Yes it is a real problem Susan everywhere on the internet...I have proof of constant visitors everyday to all of my images on another site and I know they are stealing them ...I have my own digimarc watermark embedded in the image and the site provides this option but they are still stealing so my only recourse is to leave the site all together....Unfortunately we are the ones who lose any exposure we may get by doing this...so what do we do? It is a real dilemma....