How do I get a copyright on my photographs?

Question

How do I get a copyright on my photographs?

Answer 1

Hi, as one of the answers said, you can use the Berne convention to copyright your photos and register them online at a website called ProveMyCopyright.com



This is especially good for photographers as you get 5Gb of account space which means you can copyright loads of photos at the one price instead of having to pay per photo.

Answer 2

i work at a walmart photo lab and at our store we make the author of the photographs write a written statement saying they took the pictures themselves and then we have them sign a portion of the copyright release that basically says if your lying ( obviously not the exact wording ) you are subject to a $10,000 fine for copyright infringement. Just make sure the the copy is typed, professional looking, states that you are the photographer, and you are aware of copyright laws. The associate in the lab if they are doing there job properly will make a copy of your statement put it on file and have you sign the copyright paperwork. Then when you go to make copies again just tell them your name and that you are on file that way they can check. after a while they get to know their customers and won't even have to look it up in the file:) oh and if they give you any hassle about it ask to speak to a member of management and show them your letter. Just show the walmart associate the statement that you created and tell them you need to sign a copyright release acknowledging that you are the author of the photos.

Answer 3

As has already been stated if you took the picture, you own the copyright.



Photoshop can add copyright and contact information to the IPTC part of the EXIF data automatically when you download them off your card so all your images will be 'tagged' with this information.



To set this up open Bridge and select Tools>Create Metadata Template, fill in the relevant details and save, you only have to do this once.



To apply it when you download your pictures, plug your card into the card reader and go to Bridge File>Get Photos from Camera, make sure the Apply Metadata box is checked, you can also give your files meaningful names and save copies to another drive simultaneously and create the file(s) at this point.



Once you have done this everytime you put a card into your card reader this application will open automatically, the copyright data is always tagged inside the file even if you edit, resize etc. the data will always be there. Its not foolproof, it can be edited, but not many people even realise it is there. Then if they read the EXIF data your name, address and telephone number are there, proof positive that the image is yours.



If you need the © symbol hold down the Alt key and press 0169 on the keypad on the right of the keyboard, when you release the Alt key the © will appear. For Macs its the Alt key + the letter 'g'.



Chris

Answer 4

To PhotoAce:

Is there a method to add that Copyright info to the Canon 5D?

Thanks

Answer 5

From Google:

Copyright Is Automatic?



Yes, thanks to the Berne Convention. At the moment of creation, when the artwork is "fixed" in some tangible form, copyright applies automatically. For a photographer, when you press the shutter release you are making a photo and gaining copyright to that photo at the same time. You don't have to declare copyright or file any paperwork. It is yours to keep until you explicitly give it away or you die (copyright expires after you, the duration in the U.S. is the author's lifetime plus 70 years).



That said, there is an advantage to filing for copyright. If a dispute arises, you can get punitive damages (in addition to compensatory damages) if a form was filed before infringement.









What Is Not Covered By Copyright?



It's important to note what is not covered by copyright.



Copyright covers form but not idea. It applies to the tangible artistic result -- known as the "form of material expression" -- not the underlying concept. So your photograph has copyright, but not the idea or viewpoint behind it. For example, if you take a great photo of some natural thing, such as a beach or Yosemite Valley, you can't stop other people from taking the same photo.



Some things are in the "public domain" and are free for the people to use. This includes artwork published before 1923; copyrights that have expired (complex); and public property such as written laws.



Copyright does not apply to facts, since these are universal not individual. Factual dates and figures can't be copyrighted, but text expressing those facts may be.



Copyright can expire. In the U.S., the duration is lifetime plus 70 years.



Copyright does not prevent resale. In the U.S., after the "first sale", the owner can resell a work as-is (the work can't be copied or resold in an altered form).



Copyright may be superceded when other laws apply, such as trademark or privacy.



Fair use is permitted. This is complex, see below.

Fair Use



Fair Use (or Fair Dealing in some countries) permits copying for some purposes, but is a complex issue. Generally, copying is permitted for personal use, research, teaching, criticism, parody, news reporting and editorial use.



Beyond that, the law is deliberately vague and is decided on a case-by-case basis. A lawyer can render an opinion, but there's no accurate answer until a case is adjudicated by a court. Questions include: how commercial was the use, has the market of the original work been affected, how different is the derivative work, has a significant amount of work been copied. Note that "fair use" is an "affirmative defense", where the infringer has the burden of proof to show that the use was indeed fair.