Check Your Website for Image Copyright Infringement

Ugg! You’ve read our previous post on the potential liability of using copyrighted images on your website and you’re ready to do something about it.

I feel your pain. I’m going through the same process on my website. Here are some tips on how to make the process as painless as possible and to sleep better knowing that your site is clean.

Like most things in life the dread of the task is much worse than the actual task. Once you get started the process goes pretty quickly. This job would also be a wonderful money making opportunity for a niece, nephew or cousin!

Here are the steps –

  1. Start with Dual Screens – or be very quick with Alt-Tab. I know there are people that find Alt-Tab just as efficient as dual screens but not me. I’d have three screens if it didn’t require a special set-up. Dual screens will make it much easier to have your spreadsheet and website up at the same time.
  2. Create a Spreadsheet – to document the process. This will allow you to refer back to the process and might even give you a little bit of defense if someone changes the copyright on their image. I created a quick Google Sheet that will allow me to get started on the process and make it easy to outsource the project and monitor the progress.I created 4 columns that will allow me to know that we checked every post on my website (at least I’d only posted 137 before waking up to this issue!), a link to the post, what license the image is licensed under and whether or not the link to that license is working.
    excelimage
  3. Start Clicking – With your website up on one screen and your spreadsheet up on the other go to each post or page that uses images and document that you have the legal right to be using it. If your attribution link does not take you to where you can find the license, I’d recommend changing that image. Go to this post to make sure you are that are free from Image Copyright Infringement issues!

attribution linl

Here is an example of the where to find the license for an image on Flickr. Just click on the link and it will take you to the attribution license.

battle of copyright

It may take you a bit to get this done, but making sure your site is clean of issues will allow you to sleep better and push forward using engaging images that are free from copyright issues.

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Images courtesy of Curt Fowler Photography.

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