How to protect your artwork? Contact info?

Oblivion2500

I'm in the middle of finishing up my portfolio and resume this week. I have to re-render everything and update all images on my ArtStation website. Is it a good idea to protect your artwork/property with initials (or even hidden initials in the image/video)? It is better to say "Art by Author_Name_Here?

What about contact info on the image? Is it necessary? It seems like a good idea to include name and email on the bottom right but also better to just have your name or initials since you can easily find contact info on the website. What do you guys think?

poopipe

There's basically no point trying to stop someone stealing and re-using the work once it's online so no point stressing over that. 

Personally I don't bother 'signing' anything - if people are on my artstation and want to give me money they can contact me easily through that,  if they're somewhere else they probably aren't going to give me any money so it doesn't matter

it doesn't hurt to pop your email in the corner though 

Oblivion2500

poopipe said:

There's basically no point trying to stop someone stealing and re-using the work once it's online so no point stressing over that. 

Personally I don't bother 'signing' anything - if people are on my artstation and want to give me money they can contact me easily through that,  if they're somewhere else they probably aren't going to give me any money so it doesn't matter

it doesn't hurt to pop your email in the corner though 

I had a class on "professional practice" back in RIT when studying my 3D Design major. My professor had a subject about protecting your artwork from being stolen or used to make money and find a job while you're struggling which I found interesting. He even opened up with an example on a court case where the real owner of the artwork had his initials hidden in each of his artwork screenshots and proved it in the courtroom which made the guilty one realize "oh shit, I didn't notice that". Busted. 

I have read a number of times that it's a good idea to have email and name on the bottom right (as long it's not distracting or taking over the screenshot).  

Alex_J

Can including hurt anything? Nope.

Could it solve a problem? Maybe.

Sounds like an easy decision to me.

But how you are going to track down some random person on the internet who stole and sold your digital artwork and sue them? That seems like more trouble than it's worth unless your work is going for millions.

Oblivion2500

Alex_J said:

But how you are going to track down some random person on the internet who stole and sold your digital artwork and sue them? That seems like more trouble than it's worth unless your work is going for millions.

That's true. The only case would be stolen marketplace items or one person using your work to get a job when they didn't make it themselves. I think I will add small info on the bottom right that says my name and role. Contact info they can just get from the portfolio site easily or from my resume. 

Eric Chadwick

I habitually put my contact info on my work. Can't hurt to include since people like sharing art on other platforms, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I've had clients contact me that way.

Still, reverse image search is really good at finding duplicates across the public web, so that's a useful trick, albeit a manual one. Useful more just for curiosity sake, than for rooting out DMCA violations.

Just if you're going to add it, make sure it's non-obtrusive.

Larry

I've started finding my work on pinterest lately. Things get lost in there. It's not intentional, but it's always good to have your contact info in there, you never know where it is going to reach. Plus, HR might have 1000 open tabs on their browser and forget whose artwork that was. Your name and email will definitely help

JunkieKong

Name and email somewhere out of the way is a good idea, but I've also seen artists ruining their work by putting big watermarks over everything and for God's sake don't do that. Trying to stop people from stealing your work seems kinda pointless in my book, if you're that great of an artist that it's happening to you, you've probably got more important things to put your time and energy into than making a lawsuit.

sacboi

"I have read a number of times that it's a good idea to have email and name on the bottom right (as long it's not distracting or taking over the screenshot)."

Do that!

Otherwise imo it's a pointless exercise trying to protect your work on the net.