>
> Actually, watermarking of images only help AFTER you realized that
> someone has used a copy of your image. It helps to proof ownership
> or copyright, but it does not help to "track" if someone has made a
> copy of your image. With the WWW being world-wide, it is practically
> impossible to know how many people in how many countries have used
> your image -- even if it is watermarked, or even with the words
> "Copyrighted 1999 by John Doe" plainly visible. If someone made a
> copy of your image, what are the chances that you will come across it
> and have a chance to claim violation? The chance is very small.
Very true.
> Second problem, watermarking of digital images only help with
> identifying a digital copy of the original digital image. If the
> image is printed out then re-scanned, or only the printed image is
> used, then all evidence of the watermark is gone. If someone grabs
> an image off the net and uses it in a printed form for commercial
> purposes in another part of the world, it is practically impossible
> to track and try to collect royalty.
Not true. The watermark can be applied with enough strength that it can
weather the printing of an image and then its rescanning to decode the
watermark. This degree of watermarking may result in readily visible
alterations to the image, however. And if the image thief is aware of the
presence of a digital watermark, I am sure it could be obliterated with no
great effort, but probably not without further degradation of the image.
I suppose I should have qualified my remarks about digital watermarks by
making the disclaimer that they are no panacea, in case someone had the
impression otherwise. Consider it done.
Chip Stratton
cstrat@xxxxxxxxx
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