You Need to Copyright Your Photos

With so many of us posting our images on the Web, you’ve got to protect yourself (and your images) by legally copyrighting your work. Luckily, the process (at least in the U.S.) is all now Web-based, so it’s never been faster, easier, or more affordable than it is today. What copyrighting does is to legally define who owns the photo, and even though, technically, there is some very limited amount of protection afforded simply by the fact that you took the shot, if someone takes your photo off the Web and uses it in their brochure, or website, or print ad, etc., without actually having registered your work as copyrighted with the U.S. Copyright office, your chances of winning a judgment in court against the “photo thief” are virtually nil. Because this process has become so quick, easy, and inexpensive, there’s no reason not to add this process as part of your photo workflow. To register your work online in the U.S., start by going to www.copyright.gov/eco/index.html (it only costs $35, and you can register literally thousands of photos at a time for that same fee). By the way, make sure you read the tip below.