How do you fight against "thieves"?

[MrBinaryAff]

I am starting to experience the problem that my images are used by other websites. It is personal work, where licensed image from Envato is used as well. I don't really like it, so trying to find a solution for that.

How do you fight against that?

Maybe there is some plugin which would stop my images from being saved by others? There is though always the way to steal them from the search engines or by looking up the html code (you can lookup code of any website, don't you)?


Thanks in advance!

[nwalker]

I put something in my HTaccess file to stop people being able to link to my images.

As for the images themselves, anything that I have created and spent time on I put my website logo on as a watermark. So if someone does use it they will either have a hell of a job removing it or gives me free advertising on their site unless they find someway of masking it.

[MrBinaryAff]

We don't want to put watermarks, or even if we would, it could be easily taken off as background of the image is just plain colour. Here is an example:

[Renee]

There have been a few affiliates over the years who have changed the images being linked to into ones that say things like "This person steals images from other websites. Don't trust them." etc. And just changed the location of the correct image so on their own site it will still show.

Good idea IMO.

[universal4]

The search string to find ways to combat this is looking fr ways to fight "hotlinking".

If anyone ever steals a specific image that is easily renamed, you could drop a new image in place with the same name and rename the one on your site.

I have seen this done with images say from an xrated site or maybe something even more disgusting...

Scumbags that steal images in this manner, hotlinking them are just scumbags....but even adding code to htaccess to stop hotlinking will not stop scumbags from taking the image and embedding it n their sites.

Rick
Universal4

[dfiocch]

Hotlinking protection through .htaccess is good to prevent in some ways stealing of images.
But it looks to have a "downside": looks like Google gives "light" penalties vs sites using hotlinking protections. I was reading something similar on a big webmaters forum...

Scratching my head: looks like search engines sometimes favor stealers/scammers... bah...

[dfiocch]

There have been a few affiliates over the years who have changed the images being linked to into ones that say things like "This person steals images from other websites. Don't trust them." etc. And just changed the location of the correct image so on their own site it will still show.

Good idea IMO.

Images with jackass faces and stetement "This site steals images from others. Just a Jackass!", you mean?
I'm one of those who replaced them...

[MrBinaryAff]

Images with jackass faces and stetement "This site steals images from others. Just a Jackass!", you mean?
I'm one of those who replaced them...

Haha, never seen that. Thanks for your answers guys, will speak to an IT guy, see what he knows about that

[universal4]

Yes that is ONE way, but putting up really truly disgusting images is also a method I have seen done....

MrBinary, this is something that is NOT complicated, you need to rename the stolen images YOU are using and replace the stolen images with different images named the same.

You need to make sure the images you have renamed are fixed in your templates, or anywhere on YOUR sites they are used.

Then any sites using YOUR stolen images will show the images you replaced named the same.....

I would be happy to give you a hand with that if it is only a few images....

I know of one case many years ago, after the person changed the image....one jerk that was stealing images had the nerve to come here and bitch.... *the person used an x-rated picture)

In one case that I used this method, I got a pretty nasty email...but it was mostly in Japanese....lol (I used a picture taken....ummmm lets just say the picture was taken in the bathroom.....)

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

Yes that is ONE way, but putting up really truly disgusting images is also a method I have seen done....

MrBinary, this is something that is NOT complicated, you need to rename the stolen images YOU are using and replace the stolen images with different images named the same.

You need to make sure the images you have renamed are fixed in your templates, or anywhere on YOUR sites they are used.

Then any sites using YOUR stolen images will show the images you replaced named the same.....

I would be happy to give you a hand with that if it is only a few images....

I know of one case many years ago, after the person changed the image....one jerk that was stealing images had the nerve to come here and bitch.... *the person used an x-rated picture)

In one case that I used this method, I got a pretty nasty email...but it was mostly in Japanese....lol (I used a picture taken....ummmm lets just say the picture was taken in the bathroom.....)

Words can easily be added to the picture such as....

"The person that owns this website STEALS their SH**"

Rick
Universal4

[sweetbet]

If you prefer not to watermark the images, then preventing hot linking via the .htaccess file is effective, unless the thief saves the images and uploads them to his server.

[gaffg]

If they are copying your images, they are probably uploading the images themselves. Gaffg images are stolen all the time and it's a lot of work to chase people down. You can contact the webmaster to ask for a link back and you'll let them use the images or report them or shame them. Some affiliates here have shamed them and seems to have worked especially if they are gpwa members.

[MrBinaryAff]

If you prefer not to watermark the images, then preventing hot linking via the .htaccess file is effective, unless the thief saves the images and uploads them to his server.

universal4, I was more thinking about what sweetbet is saying...Changing .htaccess, reupload the picture with the same name would work, but the images which got stolen were reuploaded to stealers website, so changing is not going to help. I chased one guy and he took the images down, luckily

If they are copying your images, they are probably uploading the images themselves. Gaffg images are stolen all the time and it's a lot of work to chase people down. You can contact the webmaster to ask for a link back and you'll let them use the images or report them or shame them. Some affiliates here have shamed them and seems to have worked especially if they are gpwa members.

Asking for a link is a not bad idea as well, thanks. Like people who do infographics do.

[universal4]

The htaccess fix will help for hotlinking (which changing images as I stated would also)....shaming them on their own websites.

Making the htaccess changes will not stop anyone from manually stealing the images, and re-uploading them to their own sites.

Rick
Universal4

[DanHorvat]

I like Renee's idea. Though you have to be real careful with the wording otherwise you might come out as an angry scumbag yourself.

In general, the way to deal with copying (anything) in business is to consider it a sincere form of flattery and go on with what you were doing. The other business can't steal your core if you've protected it well enough. For example, they can steal an image, but can't steal the ability to design such an image or the ability to use that image the way it's meant to be used in order to achieve maximum benefit. Also, they'll likely be using that image in a business model which is inferior to yours.

In your case, the proper way to go is to make sure the mascot is instantly recognizable as part of your site. Then no one can copy it - or if they do they'd actually be advertising your business.

[Renee]

Images with jackass faces and stetement "This site steals images from others. Just a Jackass!", you mean?
I'm one of those who replaced them...

Yep I was thinking of you.

I like Renee's idea. Though you have to be real careful with the wording otherwise you might come out as an angry scumbag yourself.

In general, the way to deal with copying (anything) in business is to consider it a sincere form of flattery and go on with what you were doing. The other business can't steal your core if you've protected it well enough. For example, they can steal an image, but can't steal the ability to design such an image or the ability to use that image the way it's meant to be used in order to achieve maximum benefit. Also, they'll likely be using that image in a business model which is inferior to yours.

In your case, the proper way to go is to make sure the mascot is instantly recognizable as part of your site. Then no one can copy it - or if they do they'd actually be advertising your business.

To be honest, I'd just replace with a porn image and be done with it.

I suppose the other option is to put a watermark on that image and reupload it.

I've had lots of photos used from my website. The sad thing is that the photos are of me. I don't particularly want my photos being used on the sites they were on.

[slotplayer]

Convert the image to a data uri or svg format.

[GPWA Aaron]

The online comic "The Oatmeal" recently had some content hotlinked by the Huffington Post. Here's how Matthew Inman, the man behind the site, responded: http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...ans-permission

[Renee]

The online comic "The Oatmeal" recently had some content hotlinked by the Huffington Post. Here's how Matthew Inman, the man behind the site, responded: http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...ans-permission

That is BRILLIANT.

[Miles_FTA]

This is the First Time I am having a good read of this thread but i so enjoyed how CRAFTY you lot are .. I am having these visions of some guy getting up in the morning to see how much cash his made today and looking at his website only to find it full of ......Creative Japanese Art.. LOL Crafty Buggers but loving it ... you get what comes to you when your a Thief ..Good on You