If for some reason one finds it necessary to publish his/her shots on the WWW, one must basically accept they are free for grabs.
"WWW" essentially equates to "Wild Wild West." That's pretty much what the internet is. The Wild West. Almost anybody can do just about anything and there isn't much you can do to stop them.
If it can be displayed on my computer I can copy it. PERIOD.
Regardless of watermarks or copy protection schemes, I can copy virtually anything I want. There are some schemes which will slow me down but I have yet to be stopped. This isn't a boast or a dare. It's just a fact of life on the internet.
If you post something on the internet, you are essentially throwing it to the four winds.
That having been said, there are things you can do.
First, don't post high resolution versions where people can get to them.
If you have a subscription or a membership service, put your high resolution pictures behind a pay wall. Make the membership agreement include language to the effect that the user is not allowed to copy the images except for his own, personal in-home use. If the user plagiarizes your work you now have a hook with which you can haul him into court with. Plus, you can ban him from your site.
Second, learn the practice of Juitsu.
In real lift Jujitsu is a style of martial arts where one forces his opponent to use his own momentum momentum against himself. If somebody tries to throw a punch at you, step aside, grab him by the arm and push him down to the ground. He will fall under his own weight and you simply have to "sit" on him. You can learn to do the same thing on the internet.
Take a look at some internet sites that post pictures of their V.I.P. events. Notice how they are virtually ALL taken in front of some kind of banner with the event's logo on it. How many pictures of stars taken on the red carpet have some kind of sign, poster or logo "casually" located in the background?
That's jujitsu! Any time somebody copies one of those photos, they are unwittingly advertising the original website from which they swiped the picture.
You can do some very subtle things. For instance, every Playboy cover photo since I can always remember has had the Playboy "bunny" logo hidden somewhere in the image. It can also be a trademark style or theme. I once remember a photographer whose trademark was a red umbrella. Almost every image I saw had a red umbrella in the picture. Gosh, it's been so long I don't remember his name but I do remember seeing one of his pictures and thinking, "There's the 'red umbrella' guy!"
Watermarking or Digimarc-ing is probably a good idea if you post a lot of pictures on the net. Yes, they can be removed but it's another obstacle that people have to overcome.
Essentially, there is no stopping anybody from copying from the internet but you can do things to slow them down but the best thing is to make every image lead the viewer back to YOUR website.
That way you can say, "Go ahead and copy my pictures! It's just free advertising for me!"
