Images and the Internet
ArtistScope develops software that protects the integrity of images displayed
on the web and in other electronic media.
The software 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 a suite of ArtistScope's tools, or
by selecting only one that suits your needs, 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 and page content from
the web. In addition to these and other features, different tools
in the available suite can be configured to provide access to authorized
users only. Further information about the potential of the software
is available here.
Why is copy protection necessary?
With the growing importance of e-commerce transactions and the ongoing
need to ensure the artistic integrity of images, it is essential that
images displayed on the web 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. (Further information
about these vulnerabilities is available by selecting the link.)
Image piracy
Many artists have
found images they have carefully and laboriously created before uploading
to the web have been used 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.
Print Screen
All content on
a web page can be captured and downloaded to a viewer's computer by
simply pressing the Print Screen 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 tools in web browsers
A feature first introduced in Internet Explorer and since provided in all modern web browsers (the ones that strive to be popular to the masses)
is the option of not only saving a web page but also saving
absolutely everything on that page, including CSS, JavaScript,
images and other media. So a use can simply click their way through
your web site plagiarizing and content that they want.
The option used to be available in the right click menu, but to
evade interference when a no-right-click JavaScript has been used
the page, the browsers now provide the option from their menu bar.
Print Quality
Online images
were once thought to only be useable on other web sites or in other
electronic media. With advances in tools for image creation and manipulation
however, many images created specifically for online use can now be
reproduced for print.
This fact, together
with advances in printer quality, means many online images can be
easily reproduced for print reproduction without substantial loss
in quality. By maintaining such quality, downloaded images can then
potentially be sold and distributed as prints without authorization
or license, which is obviously illegal.
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 ArtistScope's
products to protect their intellectual property rights from being
compromised.
Industry professionals,
photographers and artists, commercial enterprises and educational
institution are a few examples of people who can use ArtistScope's
products to prevent their online images from illegal copying, printing
and manipulation.
What kind of copy protection does ArtistScope offer?
Depending on the
level of security required, different solutions are available in the
ArtistScope software suite. While
some may need an absolute stop all solution where copy just is not
possible in any way or form,
others may need less security and protection from only the common
threats.
ArtistScope provides a variety of solutions for different types of
media:
Copy protection for documents
With CopySafe PDF Protector most documents and file types can be
converted to PDF and then encrypted for distribution with the
CopySafe PDF Reader. This solution provides the most secure document
possible because CopySafe is the only technology that is safe from
all copy including Printscreen and screen capture software.
Copy protection for documents with distribution controlWhen CopySafe PDF is embedded with Document Rights Management (DRM),
you can not only distribute PDF documents that are safe from all
copy and capture, but also distribute those documents without fear
of them being forwarded on and accessed by persons not directly
authorized by you.
Copy protection for images on the Internet
With CopySafe Web images can be
encrypted and protected from all copy including Printscreen and
screen capture software, providing the most secure image protection
imaginable because the images are domain locked and cannot be used
away from your web site, and they cannot be retrieved from cache. In
fact the image files on the server are safe from the webmaster
himself.
Copy protection for web pages and all media
When CopySafe Web Insert is used on any web page, all media including test,
images, Flash, video streams (absolutely anything that can be
displayed on a web page) can be protected from Printscreen and
screen capture. CopySafe is the only technology that can do this and
it's safe from
all screen capture and recording software.
Protection of images stored on the serverRegardless of how an image is displayed on web page or what means
has been used to prevent unauthorized or direct linking to an image,
images stored on any web site or server are always vulnerable to
theft by office staff and hosting staff. But if you use encrypted
images created by either CopySafe Web or
Secure Image Pro then those images can only ever be displayed on
your web site and are useless for any other purpose, even to your
webmaster.
Document distribution control
Preventing the copy of the content in documents and on web pages is
a specialist field of expertise where ArtistScope solutions have
always been the most secure for more than a decade. But preventing
the on distribution or forwarding of those documents to other
persons who may be unauthorized to view their is another specialist
field of its own, and again ArtistScope can provide the most secure
solution.
Content protected by
ArtistScope DRM can only be accessed by the person/s that you
authorize, and any copies of that document forwarded onto other
people, cannot be opened, decompiled or extracted in any way. Unlike
other document solutions passwords cannot be extracted and
expiration cannot be cheated by turning back the computer date.
For further information, clarification of the options available or
advice in selecting the right options for your project, please use
our email contact form.
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