How Can I Copyright My Artwork?

The usual way to protect your artwork is to watermark it. It is very easy for someone to just take your work and claim it as their own, and the presence of a watermark usually rectifies this. If people spot a watermark on your work then they will be put off stealing it. A watermark can be anything that represents yourself, such as your name, your company or your website.

You could alter the resolution of your images before you place them on the internet. Try to make them fairly low quality, so that people won't have a decent print-out if they try to steal your work.

Another way of placing copyright on your work is to send the original artwork to yourself via post. This way, the envelope will be stamped and there will be a date on it and if anyone tries to steal your work from the Internet after this date, then you have proof that you created it before they attempted to steal it. Make sure you keep the envelope sealed, as this shows you haven't tampered with the date or the artwork.