Originally Posted by
jaciqltznok
actually you do NOT need to copyright a picture, you OWN it, there for it is yours and nobody had the right to STEAL it and do what they want with it!
This is true of a hard copy photograph. No one can come into your abode legally and take the photo from you without facing legal ramifications. However, when you transmit a photo electronically to the internet and it is not registered as a copyrighted photo, you MAKE IT public domain when you put it on your blog/this board/etc!! Anyone can save the photo, print it out, make flyers of it if they want....the person who makes it public can do nothing about it (unless they have a registered copyright and can prove that the use of their photo affected the market negatively).
That does not not mean that it's right to do it. It just means there is no legal recourse for the owner unless they have a copyright, and even then, it's costly and a long road to prove copyright infringement.
This
http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/...extTheft.shtml was posted in links and resources and it's quite informative. Real live laws are cited and backed up with case law. There is very interesting reading about patterns and quilt designs as well.