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PicRights is not a law firm and our copyright compliance officers are not attorneys. The material provided on this website is for general information purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.

The True Cost of Image Piracy: Hurting Photography

Since Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the photographic camera in 1816, photography has been a powerful tool for documenting our lives and our world. From Charlie’s Cole’s image of a lone protestor staring down a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square to Ansel Adams’s black-and-whites of the American West, still photographs create strong emotional connections to people, events, and places we may never experience. As Dorothea Lange put it: “Photography takes… Read More »The True Cost of Image Piracy: Hurting Photography

Do You Publish Photos Online?

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) & You If you publish or share your photos online, especially as part of your social media or marketing outreach, prepare for the possibility of people reposting your work without permission. In the early days of the Internet, it wasn’t 100% clear whether or not online service providers were liable if their users committed copyright infringement. In response to growing uncertainties, in 1998 the… Read More »Do You Publish Photos Online?

PicRights is Not a Troll: Copyright Affects Everyone (Including You)

In the age of the Internet, image theft is commonplace and easier than ever. It’s estimated that intellectual property (IP) theft in the U.S. costs between $225 billion and $600 billion every year. That may seem like a staggering sum, until you realize that over 3.2 billion images are shared online every day and an estimated 70% are used without a license or permission.

How to Avoid Accidentally Stealing Copyrighted Images

The Internet is AMAZING for verbal and visual expression. But increased ease of content sharing has given rise to the misconception that everything online is free for the taking—even photos. Love it or hate it (or love to hate it), most photos on the Internet are copyrighted, and using a copyrighted photo without permission is theft.