One of the main drawbacks of the Internet is that any files that end up here practically become public domain. Anyone can copy your photos and claim rights to them. Here, the rule often applies – it’s much easier to take someone else’s than to create your own. Today we will talk about how you can protect your files from copying on the Internet.
How to Protect Images and Photos from Copying
There are several popular methods that will help you protect your images and photos that you publish on the Internet from copying. The simplest option is to overlay a watermark on the image using any graphics editor. By the way, you can establish your copyright with a watermark not only on photos but also on other files, for example, on PDF documents, such an option is available in the Watermarkly editor. A watermark is a semi-transparent image that is placed over the photo, with it, you can indicate who the author of the image is.
Most likely, you have encountered watermarks on popular photo stock sites – such tags fill the entire image for sale. To remove watermarks, simply purchase the image at the price indicated by the author.
When applying a watermark, make sure it is semi-transparent – this way you will not spoil the impression of your photo, but do not apply it to the edges of the picture, otherwise, the tag can be easily cropped out.
There are a few additional ways to protect images on the Internet:
- Disable the context menu. This refers to when a user right-clicks on an image and selects “Save Image.” You can disable this option on your website using special software.
- Creating a transparent overlay. It should have the same size as your photo, when publishing, overlay it on the image using code. As a result, the person who decides to save your photo will only get a transparent overlay.
- Use digital tags. This refers to specific photo data in EXIF format, where you can specify your name or the name of your company.
How to Protect Text from Copying
Protecting text from copying on the internet can also be done using several methods. Let’s consider the main ones:
- Blocking text selection and copying. You’ve probably visited websites where text cannot be copied – it simply cannot be selected. This is done using a special script that adds certain attributes to the code of your website. The downside of this method is that there are special browser extensions that can easily bypass this block.
- Indication of copyright. This is often done using a special symbol © (copyright). Place information about authorship in the footer of your website and include this label nearby.
- Linking to other articles on your website. This is suitable for protection against people who are too lazy to edit the copied text and simply post it on their own resource. As a result, the links will help readers determine the original source of the material. And for your website, it will be another plus – increasing external link mass.
- Source citation. Using code, you can also arrange for a link to the source to be added to the end of the copied text. Often, no one pays attention to such links, so as a result, everyone will know where another website got this information from.
How to Protect Videos from Copying
Videos can also be protected using watermarks – these options are available either with editors or video hosting platforms where you place your content. For instance, in the YouTube Creative Studio, you can customize how your video will be displayed during playback.
Additional methods to protect your videos from unauthorized copying include:
- Use of special players. Some software in advanced versions allows you to block the download link for the video. There is software available to bypass such blocks, but dealing with it will be time-consuming. It will be much easier for someone who decides to appropriate your video to simply find new materials.
- Video streaming. In this option, your file is divided into many small parts. While playing, this is not noticeable, but when downloading, a pirate will receive your video in small pieces. If they want to assemble a full video, they will have to put in effort.
- Film yourself. Another option is to somehow appear in the recorded video. Your face will be the simplest way to prove that the video belongs to you.
As you can see, there are plenty of ways to protect files from copying on the internet. The simplest option is to use watermarks and mark files that belong to you. But you can go further and use code to prohibit any copying or downloading of files from your website.
