The digital world is wonderful you can copy and send your images you have created anywhere in the world, how great is the for the owner of the image, but it’s a doubled edge sword anyone can copy that file also and send or paste anywhere in the digital world.

It’s now easier than ever to steal someone’s work, yes from time to time in the good old days of film images sometimes where stolen but it was much more difficult, as you need direct access to copy those images.

But now the moment you email or post an image on social media you have no control where it might turn up or be used, copyright laws exist in different countries and are mostly relate to copyright breaches in that country but once it goes out of the country it’s difficult to police.

The law has been slow to keep up with all things digital, cybercrime is taking over from the traditional types of crime, and we are all at risk, so much information is now in a digital format and is designed to be copied and shared for legal purposes, but so much can be gained if used illegality.

So what does this mean for us photographers, who are creating images and vision in the digital world, its already difficult to make a living as a photographer, and people can easily steal your work and profit from it.

Governments have a poor track record in protecting industries, its basely up to the photographers of the world to police and look for solutions to this problem and lobby the government to protect peoples work.

Maybe timely with a federal election coming up to ask your federal member what are doing to protect photographers and their work.

Copyright it’s something we all should be thinking about

Best regards

Stephen Finkel