Photographers who think they can protect the images they post online by only uploading small files need to think again. Now with Topaz Labs $99
A.I. Gigapixel program anyone can re-size any images they find online, make it up to 600% larger than its original size and also improve sharpness. For more about how it works check out this
YouTube video.
This is another reason why the image licensing industry need something like an
Image Creator Locator (ICL) that would make it easy for anyone who finds an image they would like to use to determine if they need permission to use it.
While an ICL would not prevent someone from stealing an image, it would make it easy for those who want to be honest citizens to do the right thing. I believe most people want to be honest, if you make it reasonably possible for them to respect the property rights of others.
If you find a coin on the street and there is not way to determine who dropped it, or how to got there, most people would feel that it is not being dishonest to pick up the coin and use it.
To say that every image is “Copyrighted at the Moment of Creation,” and yet not offer viewers any way to determine if the creator of the image expects to be compensated for any use, or provide any information about the creator’s name, or how to contact that creator is not fair or helpful to those interested in being honest.
To make it even more difficult everyone knows that a huge percentage of the images that can be found online are available for free use with no restrictions. In many cases the creators are amateurs who would be more than happy if someone else used their image.
There needs to be an easy way for those who find images online to determine if an image is free to use, or if permission is required. The ICL is certainly one answer.
For more discussion on the ICL check out
here and
here.