Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
Corran
Well-known
Print screen -> paste into Paint -> done.
Disabling right-click is about as meaningless as it gets.
I recently had a copyright dispute with a certain group who posted several of my images to Facebook, Twitter, etc., without my permission. I just had to send DMCA Takedown notices and it was taken care of. The only hitch was Facebook seemed reticent to do anything until I sent a very sternly worded notice direct to their IP department.
As for the original post, about the high school student, that's a pretty clear case of illegally threatening a student with no legal grounds, IMO. That said, there are certainly times when using pictures of minors may be illegal. When I got my education degree, we were instructed to never use photos of kids faces in portfolios for our teaching internship, without explicit releases from students/parents. Still not sure they had legal ground to stand on for that but an adult working at the school is different than a student at the school.
Disabling right-click is about as meaningless as it gets.
I recently had a copyright dispute with a certain group who posted several of my images to Facebook, Twitter, etc., without my permission. I just had to send DMCA Takedown notices and it was taken care of. The only hitch was Facebook seemed reticent to do anything until I sent a very sternly worded notice direct to their IP department.
As for the original post, about the high school student, that's a pretty clear case of illegally threatening a student with no legal grounds, IMO. That said, there are certainly times when using pictures of minors may be illegal. When I got my education degree, we were instructed to never use photos of kids faces in portfolios for our teaching internship, without explicit releases from students/parents. Still not sure they had legal ground to stand on for that but an adult working at the school is different than a student at the school.
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
Hey Corran, CTRL+ALT+PRINTSCRN? What decade is it again? Anyone willing to go through three steps to pirate a file would learn to cut one out by using the Snipping Tool (which I do quite a bit to generate training materials). 
But I think you might be seeing the trees and not a forest. Disabling right-click downloads actually does have a meaningful effect - because that's the function that allows you to pull down an entire file from a web server, as it exists on the source, and not lose any quality through recompression along the way when you subsequently turn it into a JPG or GIF for misuse. Screen shooting is markedly inferior for photos due to the way that web browsers (and some services like Facebook) resize, recompress, or re-colorspace the material (look at how Facebook butchers b/w photos).
There will obviously never be a complete inhibitor to copying digital material (just as you can highjack and record audio streams), but it is certainly possible to make it more inconvenient. The scenario you describe - to screen shoot, cut, paste, crop, and re-save is a ton more effort (for a lot less return) than right-clicking and saving to your Downloads folder.
Dante
But I think you might be seeing the trees and not a forest. Disabling right-click downloads actually does have a meaningful effect - because that's the function that allows you to pull down an entire file from a web server, as it exists on the source, and not lose any quality through recompression along the way when you subsequently turn it into a JPG or GIF for misuse. Screen shooting is markedly inferior for photos due to the way that web browsers (and some services like Facebook) resize, recompress, or re-colorspace the material (look at how Facebook butchers b/w photos).
There will obviously never be a complete inhibitor to copying digital material (just as you can highjack and record audio streams), but it is certainly possible to make it more inconvenient. The scenario you describe - to screen shoot, cut, paste, crop, and re-save is a ton more effort (for a lot less return) than right-clicking and saving to your Downloads folder.
Dante
Michael Markey
Veteran
Sorry to be so dumb.
I get alot of my stuff hijacked on FB ...are you suggesting that there is a way to disable this activity or at the very least make it more difficult for people to hi jack your shots...
I get alot of my stuff hijacked on FB ...are you suggesting that there is a way to disable this activity or at the very least make it more difficult for people to hi jack your shots...
Corran
Well-known
Dante, absolutely right, my point is it does nothing in the long run, if someone is determined to take. And besides which, I was just pointing out the most classic way.
Another example would be View Source -> copy *.jpg url -> paste into address bar, hit enter, and then right-click and save as. Same result without the artificial block.
Another example would be View Source -> copy *.jpg url -> paste into address bar, hit enter, and then right-click and save as. Same result without the artificial block.
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
Sadly no. Although FB's feed view prevents you from doing a right-click download, its picture viewer has under "Options" a download option. Doh!
Dante
dmr
Registered Abuser
I don't think I would ever buy something that I needed to "jailbreak" to get to do what I wanted!
Shafovaloff1
Well-known
The first thing, REGISTER, after this you have something to use to protect your rights. The threat of access to statutory damages and the other side paying statutory attorney fees and Federal District Court can go a very long way with commercial users.
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
Figure this, if it's on the 'net, it's gone. Sad but true. If you don't want your pictures hacked, the only choices are gall them up with enough watermarking to make them unusable thus unviewable or don't put them up.
:: Mark
Well-known
It is no use being right if it could end up costing you more to fight something than you have lost.
Can you afford to sue an American corporation? What about someone in a completely different country? And how much of your time are you prepared to spend doing this?
Current copyright legislation (and commercial law in general) is fundamentally driven by large corporate interests. Its practical benefit to small organisations and individuals in the current global system is marginal at best.
Bill Pierce
Well-known
I think everybody may find this short article very informative. It will tell you what photographers think is fair use and what the law considers fair use. There is a difference.
https://fstoppers.com/business/late...fied-patent-and-copyright-attorney-john-71927
https://fstoppers.com/business/late...fied-patent-and-copyright-attorney-john-71927
Shafovaloff1
Well-known
Copyright Registration
Copyright Registration
If you put effort into producing something and want to make certain you are paid for the use without permission then Registration is the way to go. With Registration you have a fighting chance at recovery and access to legal help often without up front expense. Ask any IP lawyer. Sure no one wants to have to force anyone to do anything particularly in Federal Court. However if we are talking about significant pirating of what is done for an income it pays to Register. Everyone wishes a call or letter will do it, a copy of Registration will help, when attached. And, Registration can be done a few times a year by one including a large number of works as one for a small fee. Just thought I would say it one more time. This economy is tough enough on everyone not to be rewarded for what you produce and others just take for nothing.
Tom S.
Copyright Registration
If you put effort into producing something and want to make certain you are paid for the use without permission then Registration is the way to go. With Registration you have a fighting chance at recovery and access to legal help often without up front expense. Ask any IP lawyer. Sure no one wants to have to force anyone to do anything particularly in Federal Court. However if we are talking about significant pirating of what is done for an income it pays to Register. Everyone wishes a call or letter will do it, a copy of Registration will help, when attached. And, Registration can be done a few times a year by one including a large number of works as one for a small fee. Just thought I would say it one more time. This economy is tough enough on everyone not to be rewarded for what you produce and others just take for nothing.
Tom S.