Sherman Loc: Lancashire; England

You should always put your meta data on your images. Its Easy in elements. When you have your file on screen click file scroll down to file info and fill out as much as you went making sure you click copyright and copyright info your address the persons name where it was taken copyright done. You are also better putting 2 or 3 large copyrights across the complete picture and lowering the opacity and put them in fiddly places where people cant clone them out Easley. If you would like me to explain how to make a custom copyright symbol I will do so gladly

LC_PhotoNut

Copyright law is quite extensive. As the photographer you hold the copyright to the images you create. If you are hired to do a shoot read the contract carefully, it may state whether you retain or forfeit your copyright rights.

Check out the link below, he explains how to register with the Copyright office. Each registration cost $35, whether you register 1 image or multiple images. He explains how he registers all of his images at the end of the year as a batch.

Hope this helps.

http://www.phototips.biz/2013/03/episode-167-how-to-copyright-your-photos.html?m=1

jegreenejr Loc: Spring Hill, Fl

You might want to look at this site.http://www.diyphotography.net/a-great-lecture-about-photography-and-the-copyright-law

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

For a visual on adding your copyright and other information in Elements 11 please check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRy1c99dGM

WNYShooter Loc: WNY

Registering your pics is very easy here in the US, you can do it all online, and you do not need a lawyer.

Here is a great Step by Step on the process:

http://asmp.org/tutorials/online-registration-eco.html

In fact, ASMP is a great resource on the entire subject of Copyright--and other photog biz related issues--just page through the table of contents column on the right side of the page:

http://asmp.org/content/registration-counts

Here is something that will steer you in the right direction as well, a seminar on Copyrighting photos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ8TzCv1dfs&noredirect=1

WNYShooter Loc: WNY

Actually, posting pictures in ANY public area of a web site is considered "publishing" by most of the IP lawyers and consultants I've ever spoken to.

And no, you do not need a lawyer to merely register your work.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Just had a club session with an IPR lawyer about copyright.
The maximum statutory [punitive] damages is $150,000 per registration number. If there is infringement of ONE image in a group of 750 images under a single registration, then the maximum statutory damages for 1 image would be $150k/750 = $200. You can also sue for your lost income, that being how much you normally sell/license an image for if used the way the infringer did. Most of the stock photo sites license an image for $10 or less.

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

Not that it's a legal opinion, but here's the wikipedia entry on that.
"In the United States, publication is defined as:
the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution [my emphasis], public performance, or public display, constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publication

UP-2-IT Loc: RED STICK, LA

If I ight suggest, use the search feature a the top and enter watermark. You will fine more info than you can read.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

:thumbup:

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

When you agree to let an organization publish your photo, insist that somewhere in their article, or under the photo, they include a line such as "photo by John Smith" or "the photographs published with this article are the work of John Smith".

Jim Peters Loc: Pittsburgh

In The Past,If you Join The PP Of A Professional Photographers Of America. You Were Allowed One Half hour With A Copyright Attorney Free Also A lot Of Copyright Info Avail.
Remember Copyright Here Is Federal Local US. If Someone Steals Your Work Overseas,Whoops A Different Animal. The PP Of A Has A lot Of Info On Things Like This And You can join As A Student.
As I Remember The Fee Is About 250 Annual and It includes The monthly Trade magazine. 1800-786-6277 and Of Course PPofa.com

Wall-E Loc: Phoenix, AZ

*http://www.ppa.com/

$323/yr
Includes $15k gear insurance and inclusion in the Indemnification Trust [errors and omissions insurance and attorneys]. $60 less without the trust.

Current promotion gives full registration for ImagingUSA in January of 2014, AND any one of Spyder4 Color Calibrator, a Messenger photo bag, or a SpiderPRO camera holster.

They do have a one time 'Aspiring' category, for as low as $144, but doesn't include any of the above 'perks'.

http://www.ppa.com/membership/content.cfm?ItemNumber=1620

dragonswing Loc: Pa

"And it doesn't HAVE to be lower right. Anywhere on it AND IN the metadata of the image file."

How do we put a watermark in the metadata of the image file?

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Google "copyright in metadata" (without quotes). A copyright notice, properly stated (see below) can be a part of the metadata per:

http://www.photometadata.org/meta-resources-field-guide-to-metadata#Copyright%20Notice

Copyright Notice [IPTC Core]
The Copyright Notice should include any legal language required to claim intellectual property. It should identify the photograph's current holder(s). If the photographer differs from the copyright holder, enter the photographer's name in the Creator field. Usually, the value for this copyright notice would be the photographer, but if an employee made the image under work-for-hire rules, then list the employing agency or company.

Use the form of notice appropriate to your country.

For the United States, you would typically follow the form of ©<date of first publication> name of copyright owner, as in “©2012 John Doe.” Note the word “copyright” or the abbreviation “copr” may be used in place of the © symbol. In some foreign countries only the copyright symbol is recognized and the abbreviation is not accepted. Note the copyright symbol must be a full circle with a “c” inside; using something such as (c), where the parentheses form a partial circle, is not sufficient. For additional protection worldwide, it's best to use of the phrase, “all rights reserved” following the notice, as in: ©2012 Jane Doe, all rights reserved."

In Europe you use: Copyright {Year} {Copyright owner}, all rights reserved.

In Japan, for maximum protection, the following three items should appear in the copyright field of the IPTC Core: (a) the word, Copyright; (b) year of the first publication; and (c) name of the author. You may also wish to include the phrase “all rights reserved.”

Notes on usage rights should be provided in the “Rights Usage Terms” field.

Note: This field is “shared” with the “Copyright Notice” field in the Description panel of the Adobe Photoshop File Info field.

U.S. Examples:
Independent Photographer - ©2012 John Doe, all rights reserved
Agency Photographer - ©2012 John Doe / XYZ Agency, all rights reserved
Staff Photographer - ©2008 Big Newspaper, all rights reserved

For international protection, use both the copyright symbol AND the word.