Copyright images

tagging

[Starman_2]

I have been given some images how can I tell if they have been tagged for copyright, I have been told they are free of copy but have been told that if they are owned by someone they will have a tag on them how can I display the tag
cheers

[Shannon Moore]

First, I suggest you only use images you can prove you are within your rights to use, either through licensing agreement (receipts/licenses on file for proof) or public domain or royalty free repositories of images. Otherwise, you're playing with fire and will get burned, eventually.

For some insight about digital watermarks, see the post by WebmasterWorld member "Leosghost" in the following thread:
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum44/780-2-15.htm [webmasterworld.com]

There are also more threads about digital watermarks [google.com] on WebmasterWorld. Most deal with how to protect one's own work, but some will provide information on potential methods to verify if an image has been protected.

When in doubt, ask for proof. Don't believe someone has rights just because they say so. If someone dropped off a car on my doorstep and told me it was mine to have, I'd want some verifiable proof the car was theirs to give (not stolen or borrowed) before I went cruising the town in it or parked it in my driveway.

[photon]

And the images don't have to contain a tag for them to be copyrighted. So the lack of a tag doesn't imply that they are in the public domain.

[Shannon Moore]

Photon -- Excellent distinction to point out, and one I'm kicking myself for not mentioning, given that one of my primary passions and partial income streams is photography.