And yet, the way in which people upload and enjoy images online has essentially remained unchanged since the internet became commercially available. True, people may now be more reliant on phones than dedicated cameras as a means of capturing images, but they are still largely using JPEGs that can be easily shared. And what’s easily shared can be easily stolen, misused and debased.

When people consider just how vast and varied the issues around using these antiquated formats are today, it’s baffling to think that people continue to use them. Any image online is only a right-click or a screenshot away from being anyone else’s to do with as they please. For individuals, this could translate to personal harm. For photographers and other creatives, it could mean a loss of livelihood.

Stealing images online is so commonplace that many are unaware they are doing anything wrong, or even perpetuating someone else’s theft. A Copytrack report estimated that 2.5 billion images are stolen every day. The lack of awareness of copyright restrictions has meant that the line between fair and unauthorized use is far from clear, and this has only worked to erode the value of images to many. But if something is being stolen, its value should be obvious.

As a principle, streaming has already succeeded in transforming the music and film industries. While nobody would claim it has dealt a fatal blow to piracy wherever it is used, many have become accustomed to the idea of either paying for access to the content they wish to enjoy, or to accept advertising where content is consumed without charge.

So, why shouldn’t this be the case for images too? Like music and films, these are still creative works in their own right and ones that may have had considerable involvement from many individuals and each with a legal copyright holder. Perhaps people don’t see them as such, as the volume of images taken and shared every day means that many fall more into the camp of casual snaps than artistic masterpieces. But in the absence of any objective means of delineating between the two, it only makes sense that if people can protect one class of image, they should protect them all.

The industry has long been aware of these issues and has started to wake up — not least because the benefits go far beyond the simple protection against theft.

As anyone who has made their content available on YouTube or Spotify will know, streaming delivers a broader range of insights into the usage of that content and the audience drawn to it. It provides content creators and disseminators with the ability …read more

Source:: Digiday