[PinupsOnFilm]

Hello Everyone,

I just found a website that had many of my images on the site some cropped to take off my logo and others full (with the logo). I know that tube sites are taking over, but I was wondering if there was anything to see if my images are out there on the web. I know that I won't be able to detect a cropped image, but it would "potentially" find an EXACT image since they are all just ones and zeros.

TIA

Al Cheech

[gonzogone]

yes, there are many finger printing methods around to tag your images to be found on the net. Good chance they will still work if somebody removes your logo since it's meta data in the image. Check with Ella Black - she works with a company who does exactly this. I'll give her a heads up about the thread.

[PinupsOnFilm]

Thank you very much S4Ever!!! I have to re-think my whole business model for my paysite...I will let you know how I make out!

[Tigger]

so what do other site owners do to combat this ? whilst I know using your content elsewhere is not what you want so long as the watermark is in place its free advertising

[PinupsOnFilm]

Hi Tigger,

In many cases, they took off the watermark. I have decided a whole new strategy for my paysites... I will keep you all abreast on what I can do.

Where I differ from most is if someone steals a met-art or a pinupfiles picture(s), they can produce more while I only have a limited amount of material that is 40 to 50 years old where I cannot reproduce it.

I will come out stronger from this!

Al

[Tigger]

thats a problem if the twats edit the watermark out -

so just a side question which you may have addressed with other threads - if you only have a limited amount of material how are you going to hold onto members?

[PinupsOnFilm]

When I say limited there are tens of thousands of high quality girls from the 60's, but I do not want them flying all over the web. What I am going to do is have the portion that I currently have along with 8mm smokers.

I am now going to make PinupsOnFilm geared more for the collector by having auctions of my original material and pre-press material on this site PRIOR to offering them to non-paying members...Kinda like a Costco where you pay a membership and you can look at a bunch of stuff (the current content of PinupsOnFilm) as well as content you can buy (originals, pre-press, as well as limited edition prints). I currently separate the two, but why not first offer the material on PinupsOnFilm BEFORE Ebay or other store venues? This way they will rebill as the collector will always want first dibs at this material.

I will still have the free material as shown now on PinupsOnFilm, but there will also be a section geared to collectors.

I can focus on the collector. For example, I have hundreds of images of Goldfinger Bond Girl Margaret Nolan (Vicky Kennedy). UK guys LOVE her. and if they can buy pre-press negatives of her (the negs given to the magazine houses before printing) before the general public, I believe they will rebill. And that is the key to success in any business...get a customer...keep a customer! This way you can spend more to acquire a customer.

Three days ago, I was given lemons, I believe my new business model has turned them into lemonade.
Al Cheech
PinupsOnFilm

[VoyGeorge]

Do you own the copyright to these images?

[Tigger]

due to the age would they be copyrighted ?

[PinupsOnFilm]

Yes I own the copyrights.

[Tigger]

that answer my question - cheers

[VoyGeorge]

Originally Posted by PinupsOnFilm

Yes I own the copyrights.

In that case (and no offense), you may want to do a better job on your Web site about how they're exclusive. Most of these retro-porn sites are filled with magazine and slide scans from publications long considered to be in the public domain, because they ARE in the public domain. They were never copyrighted in the first place.

"Beaver shots" in the 60s and very early 1970s were largely considered obscene in most countries (including the US), so no photographer would dare register the copyrights, or indeed even claim copyright ownership (provide a name that could be used himself in court) and no magazine would admit to mailing obscene matter. The end result is that the vast majority of this stuff up through 1977 is public domain because of the lack of formal registration. People today treat it as freely available, giving no credence to your statement of ownership with a watermark.

I asked because photos taken before 1978 lack a copyright in the US unless they were formally registered with the US Copyright Office and a claim of copyright was made at publication. Only after 1978 were creative works given automatic copyright, and rules relaxed regarding not including a proper copyright notice.

You have an uphill battle protecting your ownership of copyrights to any vintage images. As a business model, I think I'd prefer to license these out rather than try to get money from a pay site, but that's just me.

[whitey]

To the OP - new guy here but, I am a freelance photo retoucher. Cut my teeth in the adult world cleaning up images and have since progressed into more mainstream stuff. Anyhow, as to protecting the images- it is virtually impossible to stop image theft. You can try various methods but if someone wants them they will take them via simple right clicks or screen grabs.

In your case however if you have an invisble watermark and you do find someone who has posted them elsewhere (which I suppose you have) then, you can take a little more action. I would probably ask the person to take them down and go from there. Then again if I read correctly, you did not have watermarks on the images when they were taken.

In your case probably a good idea to do so. Assuming you have Photoshop you can register with Digimarc for your own I.D. number that you can embed in the images. This way if you find someone posting your images again you can at least have firmer ground with any type of cease and desist actions you want to pursue. Can the watermark be stripped? Don't know but, I wouldn't be surprised. Another good deterrent would be to disable right clicking. Again only a deterrent though anyone who wants them bad enough will grab them with a screen grab but, it might deter someone who doesn't know better.

More info on Digimarc watermark Photoshop Tutorial: How to add Invisible Digital Watermark | PicturePhotosonCanvas.com

[housekeeper]

Some folks are stepping up who have had enough, hope this helps change the tide at least:
3 companies sue

[gonzogone]

Originally Posted by housekeeper

Some folks are stepping up who have had enough, hope this helps change the tide at least:
3 companies sue

that's a damn good sign, and really what it's going to take to begin to make a dent in this problem. The end users are the ones that really are responsible in the long run, they expect to be able to get things for free. Sites pop up to try and take advantage of a business opportunity, hoping to make money off those users.

Two things have happened in my class so far this semester that relate to this, showing 'typical' attitudes of many people at this time...
1) student was asking where he could get M$ Office without paying. Actually asked me, if he copied everything in the Program Files directory from a friends computer... after finding out that wouldn't work, he simply said that he'd just go looking around torrent sites until he found a copy. I told him I wouldn't comment since that was blatantly illegal and copyright infringement and theft. He looked right at me and said... if it was actually illegal, 'they' would stop it from happening. Oddly, I think that was the last class meeting he showed up for.

2) Another student was in class taking advantage of the higher speed connection. All last class, he was connected to a torrent site, downloading who knows what. I kept spotting him checking on the progress of the downloads. I've got a message in to the tech guys for the campus to work on blocking torrent sites from campus. I can't think of any valid use for school purposes.

it's an attitude problem. Until attitudes are changed, even through fear of prosecution, the problem won't go away.