When it comes to the internet, most of us rely on it for entertainment. Some of us love streaming Netflix’s newest movies, others use the web to find Sahara Games, or any online games they can play to have fun. However, if we have fun by posting photos or any kind of intellectual property online, we need to be aware of some laws regarding the protection of our creation. Protecting one’s assets is important, in the real, outside world, and on the internet. Now, what those assets are, does not really matter, because you should protect and be mindful of the things that you own. There are various ways to protect what you own online. 

Intellectual property is often worth more than money, because it can make more money in the long run and it can also have artistic worth. Photographs were misused and mishandled in the early days of the internet. 

Nowadays, we have a better understanding of copyright and licenses, so protecting our photos comes easier. Here are some tips on how to copyright your photos, and reasons why you should do it.

Why Copyright Your Photos and other IP?

It seems that posting photographs online is a simple matter. You just post it, and that’s it, it belongs to you, right? Yes and no. If you post it on certain sites that have you covered in a sense, then you can protect your photos should they appear on other sites. 

If you post it on a blog site in WordPress, without notice of a license, your content can easily be stolen, unless you put a huge watermark on your photo, preferably in the middle of the photo. 

Copyrighting your photographs and other intellectual property is a very good way of making sure that your work gets back to you, that you make more out of it. Whether you earn money when someone purchases your work, or you get traffic when they link back to your site, you will still earn.

Protecting your property gives you potential profit, networking or both.

How to Copyright Photos

The easiest way to copyright photos is to use a Creative Commons or CC license. CC licenses are free, for starters. They come in less or very restrictive forms. All CC licenses except the CC0 or public domain license, impose attribution on others. Some protect your IP completely, and restrict sharing or adapting.

CC licenses are simple to implement and their guides will help you get started and help you protect your data, whether photographs or any other digital IP.

There is an option to go to a government, the popular option being the US Copyright Office. The USCO can copyright anybody’s photos, and they can help people outside the US look into their own country’s copyright laws, so that it can also be done locally.

Active Protection

Check from time to time to see whether anybody is using your photos. If they are, without your consent, ask them to give you credit. If they do not comply, take the photo down or take legal action. Active protection is necessary, as people will share photos without consent.

Protecting our IP, including photographs, is very important. The easiest way to do it is by using a CC license.