FUTURE WATERMARKING ISSUE

[silverpinups]

What concerns me about watermarking my images is what happens if eBay bands watermarking completely in the next year or so.

Will eBay force Sellers to remove their watermarked images?

This concerns me if they force Sellers to revise there listings with non watermarked images to comply with some future listing policy. 

I was burnt once when eBay.ca ended USD listings and had to re-list over 500 items on eBay.com.

I don't want to go through that again.....  

[hlmacdon]

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@dutchman48 wrote:

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But can be very difficult to enforce cost wise. You have to go after the person using your photo without permission.

Reporting it to Ebay will do 0 for you.

If you copyright, you are entitled to damages if you pursue it in the courts.

Please correct me if that is incorrect as I am not a lawyer and have never pursued this issue in court.

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Not terribly difficult. Register for the vero program then file an infringement notice. It helps if you have your photos on an external website that you have ownership of. The only cost is how much you value your time, which is understandably different for each seller. I'm fine with that process as it mirrors your typical DMCA process.

[silverpinups]

I do agree that for the most part it's not something most eBay sellers need to concern themselves with, While it's annoying when somebody steals your images there is rarely any actual damages (financial loss) involved.

There is a financial loss if my images are being stolen by others.

I've sold the use of my images pre-1960 (non candid with no photographers stamp) to a few publishers over the years that needed images for various celebrity themed books.

My Russ Meyer NSS Still Set will be used in a booklet that will be included in a upcoming Russ Meyer deluxe Blu-Ray film series that will be developed in the next few years.

I only watermarked one image from that set of 12, but it was enough for the film company to inquire about the images for use in their Blu-Ray film-set. 

Of course this has only happened on a handful of occasions but if the images were never watermarked then they would have been used without my knowledge.   

[recped]

You don't even have to be a Vero member! Anyone can send a DMCA notice to eBay.

The instructions are available on this page:

http://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/listing/create-effective-listings/vero-program.html#m17-1-tb2

[dutchman48]

So any sellers that object to pictures being used should be filing the notice with Ebay.

If Ebay does nothing then what?

[hlmacdon]

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@dutchman48 wrote:

So any sellers that object to pictures being used should be filing the notice with Ebay.

If Ebay does nothing then what?

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I've never not seen them respond to a vero claim, provided it was filled in with a reasonable degree of competence.

[musicyouneed]

I thought that I would make myself a little watermark and put it on all my pictures.  I took a few pics and when I went to list them I came across this, see 2nd picture.  So I retook the pictures without my name.

[momcqueen]

By 'text' they mean a starburst that says 'Always Free Shipping' or 'Your Music Source' or something. But there are very specific rules about watermarks and where they can be placed, what size is permitted, and opacity. It's in the policy.

[momcqueen]

http://pages.ebay.ca/sellerinformation/how-to-take-product-photos/ebay-photo-requirements.html

This Help Page is outdated because it recommends using the eBay watermark that no longer exists. There is a better one. 

Watermarks are allowed for ownership and attribution, but not for marketing information, specific details about your item, or customer service. Your watermark should be no bigger than 5% of the total image area, have an opacity of no more than 50%, and never obscure the item. Links are not allowed in watermarks.

To make sure your watermarks are compliant, use the eBay watermark creation service. You’ll find it in the “Bring your item to life with pictures” section of the listing form.

No text or artwork on photos

No text or artwork (such as “Free shipping” or seller logos) may be added to photos. Copy that is essential to your listing should be placed in the title, subtitle, or item description.

[momcqueen]

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/pictures.html#adding

Still not the page im looking for. The one I want has photo illustrations. 

[momcqueen]

Try this for more detail: http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Where-have-all-the-ebay-Watermarks-gone/m-p/349813/highli...

[silverpinups]

It looks like a generalized disclaimer on the "new" listing tool (new for me anyways...) so I believe it's loosely phrased enough to be interpreted anyway eBay feels is appropriate.

I'm going to continue to watermark my images "my way" until the time comes when eBay decides to completely ban watermarking.

[silverpinups]

Also, your watermark looks like a label that was placed on the CD. Opacity is important, keep it light.... you have a good name for watermarking.