WordPress.org

1. teamamy
   Member
   Posted 9 months ago #

   Hi,

   I am in the final stages of customization and I am confronted with a DMCA /CC issue regarding the handling of the images within WordPress. (This does not just apply to the U.S.)

   I will be posting licenced content, either via Subscription or via Creative Commons. The server prevents indexing, but I am adding index.php files in each of the image directories anyway. I added .htaccess commands to prevent the hotlinking of image files from the outside. Note: I was advised by one major photo source that I would be personally responsible for images made available by my site or webpages, if someone copied them. The fines were huge.

   I am just faced with one final issue, that is the prevention of someone either right mouse clicking on the image and saving it off as a local file or by accessing the file directly from a browser.

   ===

   1) Regarding the first issue, setting the image as a background image and then placing a transparent over as the primary image prevents one from right mouse clicking the file. Even in Firefox, you cannot select the background image unless you have access to it. When a pirate tries to copy the file, they get a transparent dummy file in its place.
   The technique is described here, as method #2:

   http://bloggerstop.net/2009/08/protect-photos-from-getting-copied.html

   Many sections and functions of WordPress do not allow this technique to be used. Watermarking is not really a solution and can cause problems with some licensing.

   ===

   2) The ability to prevent someone from directly accessing the file from a browser. If someone wants the file, they should access it from the WordPress webpage only. Some sore of restricted directory is needed and the images are accessed from WordPress alone.

   ===

   One single lawsuit could decimate most every site operator on the Internet. Copyright lawsuits are now becoming a new revenue source for photographers, image sourcers and authors as a way to supplement their revenues. There are several lawfirms buying up newspaper articles and then suing sites who allow user commentors to paste their copyrighted text within them.

   All sites who allow third-party posters MUST file a DMCA Copyright "Interim Designation of Agent to Receive Notification of Claim Infringement" form to protect yourself under the DMCA 512c Safe Harbor law, else a poster pasteing someone else’s text could open your site up for a lawsuit.

   Is there a way to add in background/forground image support in the theme and restrict direct image access so that us website operators don’t get pinched for a potential $150K copyright infringement lawsuit which compounds over the amount of infractions?

   Thanks

2. Samuel B
   moderator
   Posted 9 months ago #

   this has come up 100's of times
   you can't stop someone that really knows what's up
   I could list here a couple of other ways to get the image

   anyone that thinks they can hold you responsible for that - send me to their site and I will come back with any and all images they think are "protected"

   ridiculous

3. teamamy
   Member
   Posted 9 months ago #

   True, but it would stop 95% of the attempts and show due diligence.

   Just because there are those with advance skill sets is no excuse not to try and secure WordPress or the websites. If that logic is correct, then why do we even bother to secure our websites at all. Those who know how to hack into them will...

   I see what you are saying, but legally, it won't fly.

   Getty/ThinkStock, and others.

   Just because you can lift the images from their sites does not mean much, as they are their images. When they are lifted from my site, I am the steward who failed to restrict them. And they let that be known.

4. Samuel B
   moderator
   Posted 9 months ago #

   I agree with the due diligence - just pointing out they can't hold you responsible for advanced thieves.

   there are plugins to stop right clicks
   http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/no-right-click-images-plugin/
   http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-copyprotect/

5. teamamy
   Member
   Posted 9 months ago #

   Hi Samuel,

   I've reviewed those two plugins before and they are both moderately effectual at best.

   The base function of WordPress should prevent image lifting. This not only protects the WP community as a whole, but it also protects the hundreds or thousands of sites who are defined at Photo and Image sites.

   In addition, none of the solutions prevent direct access to the images. Another area that WP should handle directly.

   People should not have to search for mediocre ways to prevent IP theft. It really should be a given.

   Perhaps this feature could be added to a future release?

6. Otto
   Tech Ninja
   Posted 9 months ago #

   moderately effectual at best

   ALL methods for doing this are only "moderately effectual". There is no way to display an image in my browser that will prevent me from getting the URL and/or downloading the image directly. It's a fool's game.

   The web simply does not work that way.

7. Ipstenu
   Half-Elf Support Rogue & Mod
   Posted 9 months ago #

   Watermark them. Manually. Right down the middle. BEFORE you upload them. That's the only way I know of to protect your interests and stop people from nicking them, but even then, I know folks who'll do something.

   If you put an image up publicly it will get nicked. That's true of all things, including the web.

8. ClaytonJames
   Member
   Posted 9 months ago #

   Amen to that.

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