Main Site Ideas to prevent art theft on FA

[Raever]

Alright so I'm not sure how popular this suggestion would be, but I was wanting to throw it out there anyway. I see a lot of people get their art used/stolen by people who really have no rights to the pieces and refusing to credit the original owners/artists. Furaffinity is also one of the - if not the, - largest furry art websites to date. Would it be possible to provide ways to prevent art theft on the site? Such as but not limited to:

1. Disabling Right-Click // Disabling Hotlinking - While they're both different things, I'm combining them since they accomplish the same thing. So, FA could disable users ability to right click on images to save them. Sure, computers still have snip tools and mobiles have a screenshot ability, but you'd be surprised at how many people give up after ol' reliable doesn't work anymore. As for hotlinking, preventing people from hotlinking from public profiles would give incentive for more members to have public profiles to begin with, but also make the art feel more protected (imo) as well as stop lazy people from using the art (which is a surprising number!).

2. Adding a DMCA Badge - I'm not sure if this would work for FA specifically since it's a host to various artists versus the owner of all content (or is it?) but maybe adding a DMCA badge would act as deterrent for those wanting to steal art that's hosted on the website?

3. Removing the download buttons on the website (I never understood their purpose tbh...).

What do you guys think?

 

[TyraWadman]

I personally like the idea of disabling the right click but... Sometimes I'm too lazy to dig through my millions of files for the original so I come here and copy/paste to whatever it is I'm trying to do. XD

I wouldn't be against disabling it though. And at least the option to remove the download button for art. Unless you've commissioned me, or it's a story, I don't think anyone has a reason to download my stuff.

 

[Mikazuki Marazhu]

>blocks right-click

Le me with 200 IQ play: screenshot

 

[TemetNosce88]

I might be in the minority here, but I like being able to save things I like onto a favorites folder on my computer without having to rely on bookmarks or favorites. My internet has never been the best and I'd rather just download something once instead of having to wait a few seconds every time I want to go back to something.

I don't know how best to prevent art theft (I think someone used my art without permission earlier this year, never did find out where) but I think that disabling right-click would be only mildly inconvenient to the sort of people who are committed to stealing.

 

[Raever]

I might be in the minority here, but I like being able to save things I like onto a favorites folder on my computer without having to rely on bookmarks or favorites. My internet has never been the best and I'd rather just download something once instead of having to wait a few seconds every time I want to go back to something.

I don't know how best to prevent art theft (I think someone used my art without permission earlier this year, never did find out where) but I think that disabling right-click would be only mildly inconvenient to the sort of people who are committed to stealing.

As said in the OP, the goal isn't to stop it entirely - but to minimize it. Inconvenience for art thieves doesn't sound too bad in my book.

 

[Tkashi]

Disabling Right-Click // Disabling Hotlinking

Most adblockers will disable this script from running or cause your browser to ignore it. If someone really wants to get the image they can just F12 and pull the image hotlink.

Adding a DMCA Badge

What's the purpose of this? Do you mean on the image itself? I imagine that for all of the people that would be happy to have their art watermarked there would be a load more that would be pissed to see it on there.

Removing the download buttons on the website

See the above two points. For all of the work that would go into doing this, you would probably piss off more people than appease. Again, it only takes a very basic knowledge of how browsers work to figure out that there would be a URL somewhere in the page's HTML that links to the FA data site...which is apparently named spike and seems to be using artwork from some guy on DA, who apparently doesn't know that it's being used lol, as the default landing page...https://d.facdn.net/

 

[Fallowfox]

Disabling right-click has an onerous effect on users and proclamations of copyright will be ignored because they are unenforceable.

More rapid take-downs of reported content would help- but my experience is that even if I see content I know has been stolen that staff do not remove it unless the original user files a complaint.

So if the original user cannot be reached- especially if they have left the website or have passed away, there is no mechanism to prevent people reposting their art without permission.

 

[Raever]

Disabling right-click has an onerous effect on users and proclamations of copyright will be ignored because they are unenforceable.

More rapid take-downs of reported content would help- but my experience is that even if I see content I know has been stolen that staff do not remove it unless the original user files a complaint.

So if the original user cannot be reached- especially if they have left the website or have passed away, there is no mechanism to prevent people reposting their art without permission.

That's unfortunate, perhaps a better system for art take down and dead account management would be possible?

 

[Fallowfox]

That's unfortunate, perhaps a better system for art take down and dead account management would be possible?

It's difficult to think of solutions. There might be a situation where somebody claims that they're re-uploading the art because they commissioned it- or because they're the original artist.
Proving/disproving becomes difficult if victim is not present to speak their side of the story.

Even if I could think of solutions, persuading folk that they're good ideas and should be implemented is another step entirely! ;D

 

[Raever]

It's difficult to think of solutions. There might be a situation where somebody claims that they're re-uploading the art because they commissioned it- or because they're the original artist.
Proving/disproving becomes difficult if victim is not present to speak their side of the story.

Even if I could think of solutions, persuading folk that they're good ideas and should be implemented is another step entirely! ;D

That's true, but using tools such as reverse image searches tends to pull up the earliest submission or publication of artwork so long as it's publicly put out there (ex. through deviantart), so coming up with proof of when the original was posted online isn't too difficult.

 

[BayoDino]

1. Disabling Right-Click // Disabling Hotlinking - While they're both different things, I'm combining them since they accomplish the same thing. So, FA could disable users ability to right click on images to save them. Sure, computers still have snip tools and mobiles have a screenshot ability, but you'd be surprised at how many people give up after ol' reliable doesn't work anymore. As for hotlinking, preventing people from hotlinking from public profiles would give incentive for more members to have public profiles to begin with, but also make the art feel more protected (imo) as well as stop lazy people from using the art (which is a surprising number!).

I don't agree with this, you can however find the image link with pressing F12 or takin' screenshots. Disable screenshot and hot keys which open inspect element? Oh well, there're some extensions which can open the console box for you.

Plus it is a security risk, that's what dark websites do to hide their bad codes from its visitors, same with illegal trackers...

What about a thing which attaches watermark of the artist on the art? like DA and toyhouse do.

 

[Hogo]

If you're concerned about your art being stolen, and I know this is a pain, but occasionally reverse search some of your art and use the all sizes tool to see where it's been uploaded on the web without your permission. As you have more and more art this becomes a pain to do for every one of your images, so you'll probably want to just do it with your OCs and whatnot if you're going to go out of your way with this method.

Disabling downloading is just not going to work.