Wendy Slee

cdwork, 6 months ago

This is shocking- I hope it gets addressed as this site would definitely be a much lesser place without you and your beautiful work – Love Chrissy

susan davies, 6 months ago

you’re kidding wendy, that good?, cant anything be added by redbubble like they put proof through kids school photos so you have to order from school, cant scan and copy

susan davies, 6 months ago

why not send email to redbubble support

cherylc1, 6 months ago

I don’t blame you for being upset. I had someone actullay write in a comment of work that her husband loved it- but to cheep to buy it- so she gave it to him- she did not purchase it- so obviously just printed it off. It should not by so easy to print off without the artist’s permission- and yes something shold be done about it

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

Thanks Chrissie and Susan, I think this issue affects everyone who puts images on here…..and really needs to be addressed.
I have no wish to take my work down, but if it open for abuse, then I will be forced to.

Irish, 6 months ago

Wen….had a whole discusiion a few months back…read my journal dissapointed!

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

I have sent email to RB before writing this…but just wanted to warn you what can happen. Even though I was meant to have watermarks on my images, they were not on any that I saw in my friend’s email.

Wendy Slee in reply to Irish’s comment, 6 months ago

I see your journal…... thanks Mil…what alarmed me most is how big these images were and in good enough quality to print off.
Thanks for you input…... :-)

kcranmer, 6 months ago

OMG that’s insane…at first I was thinking ya they right clicked your larger view…but it had no watermark??? I would like to know how they managed to do that myself…thanks Wendy for pointing this out and hopefully the issue will be resolved!!

Oh and don’t leave please…luv ya girl!!

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

ha ha NOT leaving, but just unsure how to protect my artworks …...
I know this is a major issue for anyone putting their works online…..
I think I just got a “reality check” here….been having WAY TOO MUCH FUN on RB!!!

Paul (Quixote)..., 6 months ago

Until you figure it out, all I would suggest is that you not sign the images you put up. At least if its stolen it would be unsigned. Not much consolation, but all I can think off for now. I am just as concerned as you all are on this. It happens a lot. Perhaps the watermark should be located elsewhere and accross the entire image.

PNFdeb, 6 months ago

This is concerning

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

i don’t understand – that your watermark was missing? and Paul’s suggestion that you not sign your work, “At least if its stolen it would be unsigned”? Eh? What was RB’s reply to you?

blamo, 6 months ago

what size were they wendy …...........

Ravenor, 6 months ago

Wendy, have you not asked her how she copied them from RB?

dehk, 6 months ago

How big are we talking about.

Hop Dac, 6 months ago

Is my art safe

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

the size of the first image, which I saved from the email and then opened in CS3 was 19.4×15.4 cm. Another was 19×12 cm, more than large enough to print A4 size Okay these are at 72dpi and not the original resolution I work in, but I printed them after having been taken from RB, compressed and emailed and they still print out beautifully. Certainly not a deterrent for people to “help themselves”. The image at A4, even after having been through the above compression and emailing, was still good enough to matt up and sell or frame.
Sorry RB – that is not good enough

Wendy Slee in reply to Judith Oppenheimer’s comment, 6 months ago

I did not get the “don’t sign your work” thing but realize Paul meant that it would make it less of an “original” without the signature. And that only legit work would be signed.
Yes there was no watermark on these, so obviously they were taken from the initial smaller image we view…... and if you read my other comments, you will see that these are still perfectly ok to print at A4 size

Wendy Slee in reply to Hop Dac’s comment, 6 months ago

NOT good enough Hop, I am sorry, but if someone can take the smaller view images, copy them, email them, and I can then print them A4 and they look as good as these ones did…then something is very wrong.

jaide, 6 months ago

Wow! thats a real bummer, wendy! plz dont leave, we’ll all miss ya! thanks for the reality check!

AngelArtist, 6 months ago

Maybe that’s why nothing hardly ever sells…people just take. =(

AngelArtist, 6 months ago

some people*

Hop Dac, 6 months ago

Wendy, that’s our policy at the moment. We consulted with the community and for the greater part, they were satisfied with the outcome. There is no foolproof way to stop someone from stealing your work on the internet. You can grab pretty much any image from the internet and using photoshop to blow it up to fit onto an A4 page, it’ll just be a poorer version at 72dpi. You can disable right-click, but that doesn’t stop people from making a screen capture. We can put huge watermarks over the work, but in our experience, it affects sales because they’re hideous looking. Just ask yourself, what kind of person would steal this image and how many of those would use the image inappropriately? And how many are more likely to be doing you a service by inadvertently promoting your work.
I think the risk is negligible compared to the exposure you receive and the ease with which you can market yourself by putting work up on the internet.
If you search ‘copyright’ and ‘watermark’ in the forums, you’ll find the many threads on this subject. This is just what we have to live with if we use the internet for our own means. It’s really not a matter of ‘not good enough’, it’s up to us to decide whether it’s something we’re comfortable with.

Kelly Bermingham, 6 months ago

How distressing for you Wendy :( I dont know the answer – I dont think RB do either…..looks like we have to “deal with it”...

Maureen Bloesch, 6 months ago

I have been to many sites, that if you right click, a box comes up saying you cant do that…
I have no idea what the program is that prevents right clicking, but it’s out there…

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

Hop Dac writes, “Just ask yourself, what kind of person would steal this image and how many of those would use the image inappropriately?” As is well documented, the answer is often large commercial users who will criminally pursue even perceived trreats to their own intellectual property, but blithely ignore the rights of smaller intellectual property owners.

As for the second question, “And how many are more likely to be doing you a service by inadvertently promoting your work”, the suggestion that stealing a photographer’s or artist’s work can be in their best interest is absurd at best, and should not be put forth as even vaguely legitimate, by someone representing Red Bubble.

Hop Dac, 6 months ago

Judith, I wasn’t suggesting that it was in their best interest at all. Anyone with common sense will know that ideally you’d prefer not to have your work ‘stolen’, but say a friend of yours right-clicks the image and sends it to someone who they think may like it, it leads to further exposure, as was the case with a bubbler. Anyway, if you don’t want the risk of your work stolen, then don’t upload it to the internet. On a mac, you press apple and shift and the number 4 and that creates a screen capture that gets around disabling right-click.

Hop Dac, 6 months ago

Sorry, that probably came out sounding a little terse. The point is, we’ve considered all these things and the current system is working best for most people.

ginnymac, 6 months ago

ooh wendy pls stay!

Wendy Slee in reply to Hop Dac’s comment, 6 months ago

Hop, thank you, and i do realize I am only going over “old ground” that has been covered before, it was just a huge shock to receive my own artwork via email and find it still large enough to print out at reasonably good A4 quality.
Sorry, but that really did shock me.
And I am thinking I am not alone in this.
I appreciate redbubble immensely, and advertise to all my peers, and I have been totally happy with how it all “works” up until now, but am undecided on where I wish to go from here. I have just heard from several others that they won’t leave work up here if it remains in such large format unwatermarked (and it was the “small” unwatermarked images that my agent had dragged to her desktop so that is where my issue lies) I feel a bit the same way. Unless I can digitally sign my work in some other way to protect it. It is a poor excuse to say that someone taking my image is doing me a favour. Sorry Hop.

Irish, 6 months ago

Wen, I had a friend right click on mine and the RB watermark is NOT there, make your own watermark, it will make it that much harder for them to try to get it off!

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

I can use digimarc to electronically mark my images (and they will be trackable too, anywhere on the internet) but the cost is $500 PER YEAR to be subscribed to this. (and that is probably US$$$)
Does it warrant spending that much so that I can display my work on redbubble with some peace of mind?
What would YOU do?

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

What is the reason again that RB won’t put a watermark on the smaller images, if its already on the larger images? (I am aware of at least one online service that can take small 72 dpi images and make huge exhibition quality images from them, so the “it’s only a small 72 dpi image” explanation really doesn’t wash with today’s technology. Obviously if we have to upload images with our own embedded marks, the point of selling on RB becomes moot. It would seem a more reasonable solution for RB to put our watermarks on the smaller images here, so that they can still sell our works.

Larry Davis, 6 months ago

Hi Wendy…
I have just followed up on what’s been going on, and must agree with everything you have said.
This is probably why we haven’t been selling anything ??
Everything that we have worked for, and spent so much time on, has been a “Free For All” to whoever wants to take it.
The program that risists the right click on the mouse and “Save As” is definately out there, but I also don’t know how to get it, otherwise I would.
To prove a point in what you have been saying, I have just printed off an image on an A4 and deleted the watermark in the bottom right hand corner ( which is only a couple of centimetres and guess what ?...
You would never know the difference.
I do really believe that RB should try to police all of the members creations a little better, as they are the ones who are making the money on this site…. NOT US !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only priceless profit that has come out of RB for me, is meeting people like you. You have become more to me than just a friend.
You my girl, have become a soul mate. So don’t leave…..
Stay calm over this and keep us informed.

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

Larry, i see i’m not the only one not selling anything … i have one image with over 2,000 views, others with nearly 1,000 views, all with no sales, and i have concerns about where they may be floating around as they are some of my best black and whites (and i’m only showing online on RB). When i google my name and this – “Escape” Wall Art by Judith Oppenheimer – RedBubble – comes up as this link – http://www.redbubble.com/people/cameracrack/art/297904-7-escape – an image anyone can copy and enlarge to exhibition quality – it is disconcerting. i use the large watermark that runs through the center of my images, so placing that watermark on this size image would alleviate some of my concerns. as to RB’s contention that this would reduce sales, i have received many positive comments on this image, but it hasn’t sold anyway, so as it stands, it seems the thieves come out ahead.

Perhaps as a concession to those concerned, the choice of a watermark on this size image should be offered by RB.

Wendy Slee in reply to Judith Oppenheimer’s comment, 6 months ago

Thanks for your input Judith, I totally agree. RB need to give us a little more peace of mind if we ENTRUST them with our images. I know that there are many reasons people put their work up here, not the least of which is selling, or just to “share”, show off with pride their great work, and just as importantly to meet others of like mind….. these are all important but in varying degrees to various people.
But at the end of the day, SOMEONE is making money from our work, and it is not us.
I think we need a lot more security to be offered by RB, whether in extra options to watermark, or in making images smaller.
AFter all, a 20cm image at 72dpi is so easy to print and copy.
And now it seems a few of us are waking up to realize this fact!!
Again, Judith, thanks for supporting me in this issue.

Wendy Slee in reply to Larry Davis’s comment, 6 months ago

I have no intention of leaving RB (unless they kick me out for making too many waves!).
But I won’t be uploading any more work here, and will be taking down a lot of my gallery art, that needs to be kept protected.
I feel really sad to have to do this. But RB offer me no security.
Thanks Larry, your words are beautiful and kind and I will be the first to say, that the amazing community and friendship here is the side to RB that has become the most important to me as well.

Wendy Slee in reply to Hop Dac’s comment, 6 months ago

I don’t think it does
Who ARE “most people”?
Maybe a referendum should be held (Gosh you can tell I come from Busselton! lol)
I have been patiently buying over time, some of my favourites as cards, as my finances permit, and waiting till the postcard option becomes available as well in order to add to my purchases of friend’s works, wanting so much to have a collection of the amazing images I love here at RB….. and all I can say is
dammit, WHY am I so honest!!!!
Because if I was a different person, I could have the whole bloody collection just by TAKING it!

Wendy Slee, 6 months ago

I think too, there is an irony here that many people are told to remove their images because they might conflict with copyright laws of outside artists and entities, and the laws are upheld to protect RB legally, and uphold outsiders rights, but what about our rights?

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

Wendy, i’m a member since August. i have 144 works up (was 200 with a higher view count, but i periodically “hide” pics as i edit my folio) and my current count at 144 works is 29,745 views. With this, i’ve sold only a few cards. As i said, with that many views, i’d like a watermark on both sizes of my images.

So i’m not just supporting you, you’ve raised an issue that is supporting me, and i appreciate it!

Helen Bascom, 6 months ago

Well. Well. Well. I wonder how long the music industry would last if it did not prosecute illegal downloads of music? What if the labels told their musical artists there is no way to guarantee their copyright. Hmmm?

I understand that disabling “right click” and “save as” will not prevent ALL illegal copying of our work, but it might deter the casual thief.

I am sure that a lot of our images have been stolen, used as screen savers, background images, and probably printed up cheaply as home made greeting cards. I have a huge views to sales ratio which distresses me because the law of averages dictates that I should be selling much much more.

As far as watermarks are concerned Wendy, they appear only on the LARGEST view of your image. Small thumbnails, and page views don’t have the RB watermark..

Helen Bascom, 6 months ago

Oh, I sent an email to support a long time ago and got the same rote response. I suppose if the majority is happy with their image being vulnerable to theft, the rest of us will just have to accept it. :-(

Wendy Slee in reply to Helen Bascom’s comment, 6 months ago

I think it is time RB had a long look at security….. (sorry RB, I appreciate you and your great community site, BUT this is damn important to artists who take their work seriously…..)
It is the smaller view images that are the ones I am talking about….. mine are up to 20cm across when “taken”- right-clicked or dragged onto the desktop and that is well and truly large enough to print an A4! NOT GOOD enough security for me I am afraid.
Rote answers wont cut it with me anymore either.
These are my creations up here, my business, my passion, and I demand more security or better attempts to protect my work and my rights. I know so many feel the same way as I do.
Helen you comments about the music industry really have powerful parallels to this one.
thank you!

Cathleen Taraw..., 6 months ago

I totally agree, i would like to see the right-hand clicking butt kicked and to be able to watermark all sizes of my work that is displayed here after hearing this. Although our viewing stats are really impressive, nobody seems to be raking it in. Or are they? Anyone out there making decent dosh here? What’s your secret? Thanks for bringing this up Wendy, it was a shock, hopefully the ‘majority’ will wisen up too so something can be done.

Judith Oppenhe..., 6 months ago

Cathleen, who will ultimately “rake it in” is RB’s owners, as RB gains recognition as a growing social networking and potentially stock photography or flickr-type site. In a few years buyers will come knocking (whether RB chooses not to sell a la craigslist i can’t speculate, but at the moment i don’t see what other revenue model it has.)

We are growing RB’s value in the marketplace with our memberships and pageviews. My pageview contribution to RB – over 30,000 including the images i’ve edited out – has netted me $11.90 U.S. in sales (9 cards), not enough to receive a single payment from RB. While i cannot place a value on the friendships i’ve made here, i do place a value on my work, and don’t see any excuse on RB’s part for not doing everything it can to help us protect it. The simplest offering, at the moment, would be to offer the watermark on the smaller size image. This would cost them nothing, the programming etc. already exists.

Further protection – the ability for us to place samples of our work within RB without having to ourselves use right-click copying, might involve some work on RB’s part, before they can right-click protect. But certainly we can get the watermark on the smaller images right away.

Wendy Slee in reply to Judith Oppenheimer’s comment, 6 months ago

Yes Judith….I think we need to push our rights for security…it is not enough for RB to quote that “most people” are happy with how things are…... are these “most people” professionals? do they create their work with integrity and pride? do they attempt to make a living from their art? do they spend thousands of dollars here at RB? Do they bring in big sales for RB?
Come on RB, things are changing here, your site is growing and gaining more and more “residents”
Now I have my agent in the USA telling me that the security of my work on RB is a joke!

Wendy Slee in reply to Cathleen Tarawhiti’s comment, 6 months ago

I am asking RB right NOW to put watermarks on my smaller view images, or I will only upload tiny images as previews. OR NOT AT ALL!

MooseMan, 6 months ago

Add me to the list of people thanking you for telling us about your upsetting experience. I’ve never yet sold anything here on RB, and after reading others’ responses I can see that this is the common experience. Therefore, since I REALLY like the social aspect of my RB friends, I will be uploading only images of a minimal size. There’s no reason to put a bigger version out there to be snitched.

Wendy Slee in reply to MooseMan’s comment, 6 months ago

Thanks Mooseman…you are doing and thinking exactly the same as I…... I won’t be entrusting RB with anymore of my best works and what is here is going to be reduced.

Darren Stones, 6 months ago

Hi Wendy. Thanks for inviting me to add my opinion.

I’ve read these types of stories for a few years now and come to the conclusion it’s not worth worrying about. Everyone has their own thoughts on this type of issue and I respect that.

Wendy, Redbubble is just one site in the world that has images which can be copied by right clicking. If someone is going to steal the use of an image, they’ll do it anyway, or just find another one similar elsewhere on the web.

The web provides a smorgasbord of images these days, however consider whether you feel better showing your work to the world or keeping it under wraps.

There’s plenty of amateur enthusiasts, semi-professionals and professional photographers who are continually putting their work on the web for exposure and potential sales.

Wendy, I’ve licensed an image of the Melbourne city skyline to the Melbourne Museum for use in The Melbourne Story exhibition for 10 years because it was discovered here at Redbubble. Yes, here. And to this day I still can’t believe it.

Wendy, re-read your initial journal post at the top. Given you have someone wanting to use your work for the right reasons, I think you should digest that fact and celebrate your success.

The good will always outweigh any risk.

Cheers,
Daz

Wendy Slee in reply to Darren Stones’s comment, 6 months ago

thanks Daz, I appreciate your input, and it seems a lot of people are very blase about their work and what happens to it. I also realize we are never going to stop people from just helping themselves, but WHY MAKE IT so bloody easy!
After all, most web images are make “web ready” by being so small it is not worth taking them and certainly not worth trying to enlarge them. But here on the bubble, our images are huge, and very presentable when printed at A4 – way too easy if you ask me. All I am asking for here is to make it a bit more difficult for someone to rip off my hard work!
All your other comments make sense…..wonderful it is, to have a place where our work can be viewed, I am not knocking redbubble or any other site….. or where we can be “discovered”..... (congrats on your Melbourne image by the way!)..... but we just need to show that we care somewhat more about what happens with our work – protection of digital works is a huge monster that will not go away right now and in every organization I have spoken with, there are people concerned with this and trying to find solutions.
No easy answer, but some simple things will deter would be pilferers a little more than now when our images are handed to them on a platter!
(smaller images for the “small view”
watermark options for the small view
disable right click
yada yada)

Madeline M. A..., 6 months ago

Hi! Wendy , I addressed this very issue with Peter when I signed up on Redbubble . It went unanswered for almost three months. I got a reply finally a couple of weeks ago saying that he would address my concerns with the team. Still no reply. That is BULLSHIT … they can figure out a dam way to prevent this from happening. WHY NOT DISABLE THE RIGHT CLICK ON OUR PICTURES ???? I’m now PISSED OFF that this happened to you. They are making good money of us come up with a solution that we all like ! THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE !
Maddy

MADELINE M. ALLEN - SMUDGEART

Steve Barrie, 3 months ago

Just joined, just read this, just horrified. So, 3 months later – have you heard anything from Rb? Has anything changed? Did you take any action? I think I’ll just put a hold on adding images for now.

Wendy Slee in reply to Steve Barrie’s comment, 3 months ago

Steve,
they did the best they could and I was grateful that they DID take this on board…....RB .have given us the option to place a clear gif over our smaller images. It does not stop theft…as I just found out this week when someone repeated the process and emailed me back some of my work, but I suppose it does deter some people….