tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4995107919527402869.post4657471053400098827..comments2024-02-05T06:34:54.746-05:00Comments on Creators Against Pinterest: More Music LessonsA Glass Artisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547449968402945578noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4995107919527402869.post-53255880344735961462012-06-28T20:09:20.746-04:002012-06-28T20:09:20.746-04:00There was definitely a lot of infringing going on ...There was definitely a lot of infringing going on before Pinterest, but we were less able to find infringements (on any sites) before there were good image searches and reverse image search tools. Even before the internet, people were photographing art in galleries and making prints to sell at art fairs. If anything the net has made it easier to catch infringers. <br /><br />But, I do sign my work, and take other measures as prevention, or at least identification. And I set aside some time for DMCA takedowns, too. The net has allowed me to become better known and to sell, more than I could have without the net. So I'm not about to leave it because of Pinterest. They are an irritation, and need to bring their model and TOS into line with copyright laws, but very few artists who haven't already established themselves could get by now without being online.<br /><br />A few points:<br /><br />Even though not legally required in the USA, put a copyright notice on your work and on your sites.<br /><br />Sign your work legibly where it'll show.<br /><br />If work is not for a print, add your name and/or copyright notice faintly, but right smack in the middle of the image.<br /><br />A big threat to artists is knock-offs of their work, and many are made and sold in China. Other countries, too, have little or no recourse for original creators, and can pay artists pennies to make knock offs. Though they may get only a small low res watermarked version online, that will not stop them making big knock of paintings, probably of crappy quality, and selling them. <br /><br />You also might never discover how many people sell your work off the internet, because if they never upload it, your only hope of finding it is pure chance at some art fair or shop.<br /><br />So Pinterest has certainly been a thorn in many artists' sides. The biggest threat though, is a bad court decision about sites like them, that could be devastating to intellectual properly rights in general. And, we have an ever more business friendly Supreme Court. So if they are ever sued I hope that years from now we don't see a bad decision. By then, who knows where technology will be though? I am surprised that no art site has yet come up with a really effective prevention for image theft. I suspect they could but until one does, the rest won't follow.Cindy Schnackelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12688594942182785865noreply@blogger.com