Blog trademark

A copyright is the proper form of protection for a photograph. Although registration is not required, you can claim statutory damages if you register the copyright in a timely fashion. For a photograph, use for VA (visual art) at www.copyright.gov. Notice is not required, but I would provide a copyright notice. Note that legal protection gives you enforcement power against infringement, but does not prevent it. Therefore, I recommend technical protection, such as watermarks, and disabling the ability to right-click and copy.

I agree with my colleague, that from a practical perspective, look for technical protections to keep others from copying your photos. Remember that copyright protection is automatic but to get statutory damage relief, you need to file a copyright application. If you think that your photos are going to be stolen online, definitely get the applications filed. Also, if your photos will be used in association with a good or service, consult with an experienced trademark attorney for additional guidance. Hope this helps.

I agree, the most practical and least expensive form of protection for photographs posted online is to take technical precautions such as disabling right click and copy options. Quite simply, registration of a copyright in today's day and age is not going to stop most infringement as a practical matter. However, for commercial websites it is still necessary to protect content by registering especially to gain access to statutory damages, attorneys fees and the federal courts.