Images and the Internet
ArtistScope develops software that protects the integrity of images displayed on the web and in other electronic media.
ArtistScope offers workable solutions to creators of images who are concerned that images they post to the web can be stolen, copied or corrupted illegally. By using an ArtistScope's tool, content creators can ensure the integrity of their images is not compromised and that their intellectual property rights are maintained.
The software currently available under the ArtistScope umbrella include tools that will restrict a visitor's ability to copy and print images, documents, video and web page content. In addition to these tools DRM can be applied to provide access to authorized users only.
Why is protection necessary?
With the growing importance of e-commerce transactions and the ongoing
need to ensure the artistic integrity of images and other media, it is essential that
they can be protected from illegal copying and
printing.
As the nature of the web means most websites are open to search
spiders and 'grab' type applications, most website content is
available to most users. This availability means images on the web
are exposed in quite specific ways, such as those listed below.
Image Piracy
Many artists have found images they have carefully and laboriously on other websites either as direct copies
or in collage material.
Some creators have found their images incorporated into corporate logos with only
minimal alteration. Some have found their artworks advertised online
for sale as prints. Others have had their work entered into art contests
by complete strangers without their knowledge.
Any such action taken without the consent of the artist is obviously illegal. And
without specific protection, the entire body of work by an artist
can be downloaded to disk as fast as the user's Internet service will
allow. In most cases this is as fast as the user can double-click
on all the images.
Bandwidth Theft
Bandwidth theft is the term that describes the illegal linking to graphic images on
another site.
Whenever that link is accessed, the creator of the image and web site, not the user
downloading the image, is paying for the bandwidth used for viewing
the image. As Internet Service Providers (ISPs) charge for or limit
access according to bandwidth, such illegal linking can add substantially
to maintenance costs of the creator's web site.
Unfortunately however, most people who display graphics on their site are probably
unaware that this is occurring. Without protection, attempting to
police or prevent bandwidth theft is time consuming and a very inexact
science.
PrintScreen
All content on a web page can be captured and downloaded to a viewer's computer by
simply pressing the PrintScreen button on the keyboard.
By doing this,
a snapshot of the whole screen is captured at the user's monitor resolution,
usually 72 to 96 dots per inch (dpi). When captured at such resolution,
most images show little deterioration and can be re-used on the Internet
or as clip art by scaling down for use on brochures and leaflets.
This is, again, another obviously illegal use of online images.
Screen Capture
Capture programs, although useful as design tools for legitimate intentions, can also
be used to capture on-screen images for incorporation into other designs
without the authorization or knowledge of the creator and owner of
the artwork.
The processes used in screen capture vary according to what the target and end use
may be, but without dedicated protection, original images are vulnerable
to such theft.
Unauthorized Linking
The very nature of the language of web pages means most content on the web can be
linked to from another web site. Such unauthorized linking occurs
when a user links to your image from their web page without your consent.
The result of such action is that the unauthorized user is giving the appearance
that the legal owner of the image consents to this link and is endorsing
the activities of that site.
Spider and Grab Utilities
Even though the links to your files and images are stored within folders that are
only linked to or referenced from the main pages and indexes, these
items can be downloaded from your website without an unauthorized
user ever visiting or calling these indexes or main pages.
By using a freely available spider program, an inventory of content on a remote website
can be made and saved on another computer. On an unprotected website
this means that the user can gain list every item on your website,
save them to disk and use them without even visiting your website.
'Grab' programs are also available that will locate and download all the files in
a folder to which it is directed. This means that everything from
your Applets and Java class files to your original images can be downloaded
and utilized on the illegal user's website.
Inappropriate features of web browsers
Changes in modern web browsers is of concern to those interested in protecting their images from copy or theft.
As web browsers have become more sophisticated, so too have the
options for saving and downloading media from web pages.
Right-clicking on the mouse on an image in most web browsers window not only prompts
the user to save the image to their computer, but also saves the whole
page and every image and component on the page, including the background
tiles, to a folder created by the browser.
Breach of Copyright
Copyright notices are easy to ignore.
Images that are uploaded to the web with a copyright notice attached can still be
copied or manipulated by an unauthorized user without the consent
of the owner of the image. Even when an image owner notices a copyright
breach, the difficulty of working in international jurisdictions means
few image owners could police every breach of copyright.
The only way a copyright owner can limit their exposure to such breaches is to attach
specific tools and applications to their images.
Who needs protection?
Anyone who creates content that is then displayed or distributed on the web can use
an ArtistScope solution to protect their intellectual property rights from being
compromised.
Industry professionals, photographers and artists, commercial enterprises and educational
institutions are a few examples of people who can use ArtistScope's
solutions to prevent their online images and media from illegal copying, printing
and manipulation.
What kind of protection does ArtistScope offer?
Depending on the level of security required, different products are available in the ArtistScope software suite. While some users may need extensive image security that involves several pieces of software ensuring image protection is as high as possible, others may need simpler controlling mechanisms.