Source: Dumb Little Man
If you are managing your own websites or your clients’ websites, make sure your photo assets are coming from legitimate sources and that you’re not stealing photos online.
Even if you see something online, it doesn’t mean that you can just take it for free.
Many people see no problem with downloading music from a streaming site instead of buying a CD. The truth, however, is that such act is already considered as theft and the same is true when you get photos online without the owners’ permission.
Imagine it this way:
Most people would never walk into a gallery and take a photograph that is hanging on the wall and walk out. So, why would you get a photo without asking for permission first?
How Big Is Online Image Theft?
It’s a lot bigger than you think.
About 65% of professional photographers have had photos stolen online. 44% of hobbyists have had the same experience.
The biggest culprits are bloggers and social media users. They are responsible for 49% of stolen images online. What’s more shocking is that 28% of stolen images are used by commercial businesses and 72% of those images are altered by those businesses in some way to escape detection.
These alterations include removing watermarks, altering colors, cropping, copying, and more. China, France, and the United States are behind the most online image theft and within the United States, California takes the lead. Whether you profit from the same…
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