How to Protect Your Ebooks and Software From Being Stolen!

August 14th, 2009 at 12:40am Under copyright protection

There are many systems that can lock your software or document, allowing you to control access to that file. But the problem arises with assuming that this will stop all theft. A well thought out, thorough protection system can deter theft, but it cannot stop it 100%.

An “unbreakable” protection system simply does not, and will never exist. If someone really wants your information, they can get it, even if it takes years of work.

SO WHAT’S THE POINT? WHY USE ANY PROTECTION AT ALL?

There is no 100% security guarantee in anything, but that’s no reason to totally ignore protecting your intellectual property — A thief can easily kick in your front door and rob your house, but you still lock the door. Locking the door is not 100% effective security, but we still do it. Why? Because it deters most potential theft and those who are more determined will have to work a bit to get in.

WHO SHOULD USE PROTECTION?

The big question here is, HOW VALUABLE IS YOUR INFORMATION TO YOU? Sensitive, proprietary or private information demands some sort of protection, otherwise transmitting over the net is not an option.

If your information is not free, then it’s obviously of some importance. So, how much damage would it do to you if it were made freely available? What type of impact would it has on your sales and could you (or would you) absorb that without thinking twice?

Is a $14 Ebook worth paying for another service to protect it? Probably not, but it depends on the situation and target market. What about a $2,000 report? Does the price change the perspective?

Businesses protect their property. If you believe your information or software to be of a unique or proprietary nature, you should protect that information using some means, no matter how small.

Companies like Microsoft lose hundreds of millions of dollars due to software theft and fraud, yet they continue to implement protection measures in their software. I would guess that without any protection whatsoever the losses would be in the billions.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

Like I said, there is no 100% way to prevent every possible incident, but you can make it very difficult and less likely to happen. At best what you should hope is to provide just enough security to close obvious security flaws and discourage would-be thieves. But not so much security that it discourages honest users and customers.

PROTECTION OPTIONS

Here are some common protection schemes:

No Protection: Just distribute your information and hope for the best.

- Pros: No special process to access files which means less support issues.

- Cons: File can be passed around, copied, distributed and/or sold without authorization from the owner. Can’t prevent access after chargeback or refund.

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General Password Protection: Simply requiring a predetermined password to install or register the file.

- Pros: Simple for customer or end user.

- Cons: File and password can be passed around, copied, distributed and/or sold without authorization from the owner. Can’t prevent access after chargeback or refund.

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PC-Unique Password Protection: Generates a unique password based on the user’s computer.

- Pros: Can’t pass around the file since it is basically locked to one machine.

- Cons: Requires an extra step for registration; Customer cannot move file to another PC; If their PC crashes they will need another unique password; Can’t prevent access after chargeback or refund.

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Delayed Registration: This requires a user to enter a second registration number a specific number of days after they first register the file. For example, after 90 days of use, they must enter a new registration number that they receive from you.

- Pros: It allows control over chargeback and refunds. The file will be disabled after the second registration period because you will not provide the second key to reactivate the file.

- Cons: Requires an extra step for registration; A user can request refund or chargeback AFTER the second registration period.

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Post-Purchase Activation: Requires activation by online server. After user purchases they are entered into an online customer database. They then install and register the file by entering their name/email or some data. The server confirms the purchase and then activates the software. This method is become more and more common with big name software.

- Pros: Can prevent unauthorized distribution of file since the file must be activated by the online server.

- Cons: User must be online to register file; Can’t move file to a different PC; Can’t prevent access after chargeback or refund.

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Active Password Protection: Each time user attempts to access file it checks an online server to confirm the usage rights and permissions for the user.

- Pros: Prevents distribution or copying of file; File Owner can revoke access to file after chargeback or refund; Access permissions can be changed and applied in real-time.

- Cons: must be connected to the net to register and/or access file; User may not be able to move file to another PC; User registration can be somewhat cumbersome and difficult for some customers.

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EVALUATING PROTECTION SERVICES

When looking to protect your digital information any protection system or service that you consider should have a few basic security bases covered.

For software and executables:

1. When opening the file, a protection system must not save or copy an unprotected version of the file to the windows TEMP directory or anywhere on your PC for that matter.

2. The system should automatically prevent password sharing and access by unauthorized parties. This will prevent the document from being passed around or distributed illegally since it can’t be opened unless you are authorized.

3. It should have some method to revoke or cancel access for refunded or fraudulent users.

For PDF documents, providing adequate protection requires a bit more security as there are many more ways to obtain a protection free copy of the document.

Any PDF protection system must cover the three bases above, as well as:

* It must prevent emailing of file and exporting or extracting pages from file.

* It must prevent copying file and text to the clipboard

* It must prevent redistilling of the file and printing to PDF

* It must prevent unlimited, uncontrolled printing of file

* It must watermark all printed pages

* If using Adobe Reader, the company providing the protection service must be an authorized Adobe DRM provider.

WHAT ABOUT COST? IS IT WORTH IT?

Is $300 a year too much to protect your copyrights? Definitely not. Protection costs money, but if your business is making money then it’s a cost of doing business.

Is it for you? I don’t know. Selling a few low priced applications a month probably won’t warrant any sort of protection, but if you generate a substantial income from your software or the information distributed is of a critical nature to your business, then you need to protect your intellectual “capital” at some level.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Personally, I believe that some level of protection should be implemented on any piece of software or document that is of any value to you. You should never mass distribute a file in an unprotected format. Otherwise you will be scrambling when you find someone misusing it… if you find them!

It’s easy to listen to those that say “don’t worry about it” (a common reply to the document protection topic) until someone is actually stealing from you. Then all you can do is worry about it, but it’s too late really. The damage is done. You can’t take something back once it’s out there unprotected. No amount of legal threatening is going to phase someone in Prague who just doesn’t care about your copyrights.

Proven Ways To Protect Your Hit Song

August 12th, 2009 at 12:43pm Under copyright protection

Tin pan alley possesses a standard bugaboo for all new songwriters. This is the always-current rumor that publishers, professional songwriters, bandleaders – in fact, anyone and everyone in the music business – is intent upon stealing the ideas of new songwriters. Many new writers are hesitant about sending songs to publishers for this very reason. They are positive that if they allow the song out of their hands before the publishing contract is signed, they will find that the publisher has “copied” the number and stolen their idea. This may seem far-fetched, but it does happen.
The publisher takes every possible precaution before accepting a song for publication to insure that the song is not an infringement upon some other published number. He is usually able to spot an obvious infringement but if it should slip by his notice he knows that it will undoubtedly be picked up by the arrangers on his staff. Sometimes, despite all precautions, the infringement will pass unnoticed and the publisher is faced with an infringement suit. But such instances are extremely rare, particularly when one considers the tremendous number of songs of all types that are published every year.
Both the songwriter and the publisher are protected by law against infringement. Since the main charge in an infringement suit is that one song has been stolen from another, it is plain that both parties must be able to prove when the respective songs were written. The party that can show that his song was created before the other stands a good chance of winning the case. This date of creation can be established by several methods:
1. Take the manuscript before a notary public and have him witness your signature and affix the notary seal to the sheet of music.
2. Put the manuscript in an envelope. Seal the envelope and then mail it to yourself. The post mark will establish the date.
3. Keep the manuscript in the sealed envelope until it should be needed in an infringement case. The envelope should be opened only in court.
4. Secure some reliable and unprejudiced witnesses who can attest to hearing or seeing the number on a particular date.
5. Secure a U. S. Copyright registration.
The last method is, by far, the most satisfactory. Copyright registration simply means that the song has been officially registered as of a certain date, therefore becoming a matter of record.
Although the songwriter is entitled to exclusive rights to his composition, under common law, he must prove, beyond a question of doubt that he had created the song on a particular date. This might be established by the methods suggested above, but these methods are, to a great extent, makeshift, and do not provide definite proof offered by an official copyright card.
Furthermore, if a case is being tried on the basis of common law copyright, minimum damages are not established and must be determined by the court. For these reasons alone, it is preferable to secure an official copyright for the song.
The procedure is quite simple. The songwriter merely has to write to the Registrar of Copyrights, Washington, D. C, and ask for some application cards for unpublished musical compositions. These cards are sent free of charge. One card is required for each song to be copyrighted. The songwriter fills out the card which provides space for the names of lyric writers and composer, residence, name of song, date, etc.
The filled-in card is then returned to “Washington together with a copy of the manuscript and the required fee of one dollar.” Within a short time, the songwriter receives an official registration card attesting that the song had been duly registered as of a certain date. This card should be placed away carefully by the songwriter for it provides concrete evidence that his song had been witnessed on a particular date.
If the above procedures are followed, you precious song should be protected from any unscrupulous person intent on stealing your hard work!

Protecting Your Yoga Teaching Business

August 11th, 2009 at 06:40pm Under copyright protection

When or if, you want to become a Yoga teacher – would you be thinking of litigation and Yoga? The old saying, “the truth hurts,” applies to legality, ethics, and teaching Yoga. You can always “bury your head in the sand” and hope that you are never involved in a legal battle. After all, what kind of a student would sue his or her Yoga teacher? Doctors must ask each other this question every day. Sorry, but denial will not help you in a court of law.

Instead of denying the obvious, you can take action, by learning how the law applies to your Yoga business. You can also start creating policies that protect your students, and insure that you are giving quality Yoga instruction for the rest of your life.

It has been said that “Knowledge is Power,” and this could never be more true than when it comes down to knowing the “Letter of the Law.” Just like when a Yoga student first learns to develop his or her awareness from Yoga and meditation practice – Yoga teachers must develop an awareness of legality, as it pertains to their Yoga businesses.

For the average Yoga teacher, the thought of litigation, as a result of a student entering his or her Yoga class, is depressing. Many Yoga teachers and interns pursue the rewarding career of teaching Yoga as “Good Samaritans.” Yoga teachers are very often generous with their time, effort, and services.

It is “heartbreaking” for me to tell “giving people,” with the best of intentions, that they can be sued at any time. In this climate of litigation, anyone, even a Yoga teacher, can have a lawsuit filed against them. Defending yourself, in a court of law, can and does, create physical, spiritual, mental, and financial exhaustion.

As a result of this reality, this requires protective action on the part of all Yoga teachers. Look at this as a prevention program and a compliment to your current liability insurance policy. “I didn’t know,” will not save any of us from the wrath of the law.

Review your liability insurance and your release forms. Most Yoga teachers should have their attorney review their release forms. The days of a simple one page waiver form are over. A documented health questionnaire may help you to prevent a sudden legal catastrophe. This is not required, but serves as a tangible document to know each Yoga student a little better.

Just remember that a potential Yoga student has the legal right to refuse to fill out a questionnaire, if they so desire. This does leave you “flying blind,” when teaching Yoga classes to students whose current health condition is a mystery.

Therefore, always mention contraindications for asanas. It would be prudent to have an information packet, with contraindications, and prenatal warnings included. You could also include a slip for Yoga students to sign, which indicates that they have read, and understand, that Yoga can be a risk for some health conditions.

Lastly, it is better to lose a potential Yoga student, than to teach one at the risk of his or her health.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Mark Yates The British American Security Expert Outlines Witness Protection during the First Ever Post September 11th al Qaida Linked Terrorist Trial

August 11th, 2009 at 12:42pm Under copyright protection

My name is Mark Yates and I am a security consultant at www.asecurityonestopshop.com. In the run up to, and during the immediate aftermath of the September 11th terrorist atrocities on US soil I was tasked with assisting the FBI and the British Anti Terrorist and Crown Prosecution Service in the collation of human intelligence relating to terrorism. I was subsequently requested to travel back from my security base at Ground Zero USA and give evidence as the chief prosecution witness in the world’s first ever first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial which was held at the Old Bailey Courts in London, England.

The immediate aftermath of the September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist attacks on the US mainland resulted in a flurry of sensationalised press and media articles which where to a great extent based on unsubstantiated tabloid journalism. As a direct result of this when the first ever alleged al Qaida linked terrorist was arrested in London the Judge implemented an immediate press blackout on every aspect related to the case.

This decision infuriated the press and many unscrupulous free lance reporters scrambling about trying to report anything as close as possible to the case without breaching the Judges direct order. Investigative journalists turned to the Internet and the associated on-line press to try and swerve around the Judges order.

Subsequent articles appeared on the internet which resulted in a number of articles naming me as a person of interest in the first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial. I remember being contacted by numerous reporters from around the globe and several TV broadcast crews took up residence outside my home and security base of Ground Zero. I honoured the Judges gagging order and refused to offer any information regarding the first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial. This infuriated the less than reputable reporters, who then tried to bait me into speaking by posting false accusations that I was to be questioned and maybe tried on terrorism charges relating to September 11th.

The London Guardian newspaper then released an article about me titled Mark Yates The British American security expert which indicated I had some involvement in the first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial. As a security consultant I knew that this article regarding a British American security expert would draw dangerous cranks to my door.

In reality Mark Yates the British American security expert article linking me to witness protection during the first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial opened a horrible can of worms and the FBI informed me they had received various credible death threats against me. The threats were deemed so credible that I required full Witness Protection during the first ever Post September 11th al Qaida linked terrorist trial in London. Close protection officers who now work through www.asecurityonestopshop.com were contracted in to provide me with witness protection service.

The subsequent trial reportedly cost millions of pounds and security was on full alert. British security forces were not taking any chances after Al Qaida had senselessly murdered close to 3,000 innocent people in the Trade Centre buildings in New York. My witness protection team accompanied me for 24 hours, before, during and after I provided my prosecution testimony.

The trial of the alleged al Qaida terrorist at the Old Bailey lasted approximately 6 weeks and was billed world-wide as a trophy trial. British prosecutors appeared to let the fact that they were the first to prosecute any terrorist post September 11th overshadow the gathering of irrefutable proof that the alleged terrorist was actually guilty of any terrorist related crimes. As a security consultant at www.asecurityonestopshop.com Mark Yates is happy to say a lot was learnt from this trial, which resulted in the defendant’s acquittal. The jury returned a 10 to 2 not guilty verdict.

Dr. Mark D. Yates The British American security expert also provides business and security consultancy services for www.pconestopshop.com www.businessconsultancyonestopshop www.artofbusinesswar.com and www.maconestopshop.co.uk Dr. Mark D. Yates grants permission for this article to be posted on other web sites, forums and blogs providing he is acknowledged as the author & copyright owner of the original content, and you provide a link back to this web site.

Do Breastfeeding Protect Pregnancy? Know the Real Fact

August 11th, 2009 at 06:40am Under copyright protection

Is lactation a safe period? Whether breastfeeding infant protects your pregnancy? These are some of the common questions asked by women who want to protect pregnancy after delivery. This article will discuss the true fact on breastfeeding and pregnancy.

Many women think that the period of breastfeeding is a safe period and they continue to feed the baby for two or three years under the impression that by doing so, they will be safe from conceiving during this period. They believe that during the period of breastfeeding, menstruation will not take place and so conception cannot take place. But it is absolutely untrue that suckling in itself is a safe method of contraception. Normally after nine or ten months of the delivery a woman begins to menstruate. In many cases menstruation may begin even as early as in the second or third month. It is suggested that when the baby is seven or eight month old, it should be weaned away; otherwise it will adversely affect the health of both the mother and the child.

Women who become pregnant again while feeding one baby wrongs not only herself and the baby but also the potential child in the womb. Many women believe that conception will not take place during the lactation period. They do not menstruate, but on examination it was found that they were pregnant. To sum up, this method has proved unreliable and undependable.

Thus it can be concluded that breastfeeding does have a protective contraceptive effect, one cannot totally depend on the protection. The hormones produced when breastfeeding may prevent pregnancy. But you should not depend fully on this protection. If you breastfeed your baby totally, then you can expect good protection initially for eight to ten weeks. However, there are cases in which women re-conceived six weeks after the baby was born. It has been observed that if a baby is kept fully on breastfeed and is breastfed a minimum of at least 10 times a day then the chances of pregnancy for about four months are rare. Remember, it is not advisable to depend on the return of periods. A woman may even conceive without having started her periods.

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to provide health advice and is for general information only. Always seek the insights of a qualified health professional before embarking on any health program.

Copyright © Nick Mutt, All Rights Reserved. If you want to use this article on your website or in your ezine, make all the urls (links) active.

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Skin Cancer Prevention – Protect Your Child’s Future Today!

August 11th, 2009 at 12:41am Under copyright protection

Copyright (c) 2008 Pamela Wigglesworth
An estimated 1.3 million new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed throughout the United States every year. This outnumbers all other cancers combined and the depleting ozone layer seems to be the reason for the increase in skin cancer.
As with most children, they tend to spend time outdoors from 10:00am to 4:00pm when UV rays are at their highest. One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence more than doubles a person’s chances of developing melanoma later in life.”¹ “A person’s risk for melanoma doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any age.”². Is your child sun protected?
Skin cancer can be prevented and it is never too late to start taking better care of your skin! Clothing appears to provide one of the most convenient forms of protection against ultraviolet radiation (UV). However, the fact remains that not all clothing is sufficiently protective against harmful UV radition. The average T-shirt only provides an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) equivalent to a SPF 7 sunscreen.
Sun protective clothes are specially engineered clothing, swimming suits or hats that have been specially developed to include chemical UV absorbers that prevent penetration of UVA and UVB rays. UVA, the “Ageing Ray” which makes up 95% of UV light energy, has the power to penetrate deep into our skin where it can do permanent harm to the skin cells. UVB, known as the “Burning Ray” is comprised of 4-5% of the UV light energy, is one of the greatest causes of skin cancer.
UPF is like the sun protective factor SPF used on sunscreen lotion bottles and fabrics today, in that both UPF and SPF measure sunburn protection. A lot of companies will kind of bounce back and forth between SPF and UPF so let’s take a moment to clarify what exactly each of these acronyms means.
UPF is the measurement of how much UV light it blocks. The amount of protection that any fabrication provides varies and is dependant upon the type of fabric, the weave or type of knit fabric. Historically, these fabrications have a denser weave or knit construction and are normally darker in color. A 1 over the UPF number represents the maximum amount of UV rays penetrating the fabric. A UPF 15 rating means that only 1/15 of the harmufl UV rays will penetrate through the fabric.
SPF on the other hand measures how long you can stay in the sun without burning. If your skin normally burns within 10 minutes, then a sunscreen with a 15 SPF would provide protection 15 times as long or a total of 150 minutes, that is if you do not sweat or get wet. If a fair-skinned, blond headed person burns in five minutes under the noon day sun, a SPF 10 would enable her to remain outside for fifty minutes before burning — ten times longer than without sunscreen. An individual who has a darker skin tone might burn in 20 minutes without sunscreen could stay out for 200 minutes.
Your child is best protected when you use a combination of sun protective clothing together with the appropriate SPF level of sun screen.
1. “Squamous Cell Carcinoma.” MayoClinic.com. 8 March 2007. 15 April 2008 2. Pfahlberg A, Kolmel KF, Gefeller O. Timing of excessive ultraviolet radiation and melanoma: epidemiology does not support the existence of a critical period of high susceptibility to solar ultraviolet radiation-induced melanoma. British Journal of Dermatology, March 2001; 144; 3:471

Executive Protection Training For Bodyguards

August 10th, 2009 at 06:41pm Under copyright protection

Copyright (c) 2009 Dr Mark Yates

I completed my first executive protection training for bodyguards programme in the UK several years ago and was bitterly disappointed with the poor level of service and knowledge I was provided with. This programme never provided anything like more value than cost. In fact it is safe to say myself and the other 70 bodyguard students were ripped off. As bad as my initial close protection training was, it made me more determined to become a professional bodyguard working in the security executive protection sector. To state I was bitterly disappointed at the close protection training I had previously received would be the greatest understatement ever made. However I realised that the poor quality of the vip protection knowledge passed on by the previous security company was enough for me to learn there must be a better executive protection security company in the marketplace. My next task was to conduct enough research and due diligence to ensure I received the very best executive protection training for bodyguards and avoid being ripped off again. My intense desire to become a professional bodyguard was driving me forwards.

I contacted 10-15 executive protection bodyguard training companies who claimed to specialise the provision of executive protection training for bodyguards. As this was some years ago computers and IT technology world was new to me, but I could got by ok. I logged onto the internet and began my research by typing in key words and key phrases like security, close protection, close protection training courses, bodyguard, bodyguards into the Google search bar. It provided a lot of information, but as the internet was still in its early days I wasn’t overwhelmed with responses. I turned my attention to each of the web sites flagging the most relevant security and close protection training companies who offered executive protection training for bodyguards. Eventually I shortlisted about 15 bodyguard companies. I either phoned them, wrote letters or sent them emails. The security companies who actually had a human being answering the phone agreed to send me information on close protection training in the post, I received email replies saying their information for executive protection bodyguard training and bodyguard courses were posted on their website. Two vip protection companies would not discuss close protection training or anything to do with any reference to bodyguard subject matter over the phone.

By the end of 2 weeks and up to today’s date I only received 5 replies from security companies with information regarding close protection training. As a former business owner I was quite dismayed at this terrible lack of professional business courtesy and considered it no wonder many bodyguard training and vip protection companies went out of business.

My next task was to contact each security company by phone and have a general conversation about my executive protection training for bodyguards. I informed them also that I would like them to address my letter which contained 30 questions about close protection training that I required answers to before I consider investing in any further vip protection training. These questions were part of my due diligence to help me identify the most professional security company. One security company refused point blank to answer any of my questions informing me that they only answered questions after I had fully paid and booked onto one of their close protection training courses. Given I’d been ripped off for my training money, and ripped off of vip protection knowledge previously, it was a no brainer for me to assign this security company into the cowboy bodyguard category. I was not going to make the same mistake twice.

The other 4 replies provided very different answers in relation to the costs of their bodyguard training and also the running of their close protection training courses.

No 1 security company only held a 15 day close protection training course which was overseas only.

Both the second and third security companies I phoned made me feel very uneasy, they were quite aggressive and very unprofessional. Clearly they had failed to attend any customer service training.

The fourth security company was completely the opposite; in fact they were very friendly and understanding. They also did something amazing compared to the other security companies, they listened to me. They asked me to outline my expectations from my proposed executive protection training for bodyguards.

It was clear and apparent that the first three companies were only interested in taking my money. In fact the entire conversation revolved around getting me to pay straight away. They were aggressive in trying to hard sell me and even more aggressive in trying to close me over the telephone. They were more interested in “when are you going to book with us, can you send your deposit today.” They then started to add financial extras which made their information misleading. They were very keen to explain I had to part with my final payment 14 days before I went onto any close protection training course. This made me feel very uncomfortable and ill at ease. I remember thinking this is De Ja Vue Kevin Hodder make sure you don’t get ripped off again.

The fourth security company gave me a different outlook. I held many phone conversations and spoke to different staff about the life of a professional bodyguard, close protection training and bodyguard jobs. They were very patient with me and provided honest responses. Their business attitude and customer concern was outstanding I spoke to the same person a couple of times and he couldn’t have given me any more encouragement about the close protection industry as a professionally trained bodyguard.

I was informed by a staff member later that day the person I had my long conversation with was the boss himself, who has pioneered VIP close protection training courses in over 40 different countries and has ultimately become respected as one of the global leaders in VIP close protection training and bodyguard operations. his specialty is conducting extremely high-risk executive protection operations in many of the worlds global hot spots. At last I had found the security company that I wanted to complete my close protection training with, and I have to admit I was very excited.

I was so excited I phoned the boss back and spoke to him personally enter my request for him to train me to personally train and mentor me to develop the skills required to become a close protection/bodyguard. I explained I was not from a security or martial arts background and that I was probably older than most of his other bodyguard students. I mentioned I was nervous and that as I was self employed I was concerned about being able to afford time off for my executive protection training for bodyguards due to having a young family to support.

His reply was to politely interrupt me and he requested that I banish all these negative issues until we discussed each individual one on a point by point basis. He informed me he could train me to become a professional bodyguard as he had trained thousands of others around the world. He even offered me financial grant aid to finance my close protection training. Best of all he mapped out a bespoke training programme that fitted in with my lifestyle.

He mapped out the following 3 steps for me.

1. Register as a student with Ground Zero International for close protection training.

2.Register with the Ground Zero International affiliated Law Enforcement & Bodyguard Association International LEBAI membership association.

3. Supply passport, driving licence, photos, C.V for my Ground Zero International I.D. card. He mentioned that after all security checks were complete I would be notified when to attend my residential close protection training for bodyguards. At this stage I had no idea how this professional relationship would work but I admit I was very excited at the prospect.

I also have to admit that I had no idea that several years later I would be running my very own Ground Zero Kent security bodyguard close protection company. But that’s something for my next article.

Image protection (for Internet Artists)

August 8th, 2009 at 06:42pm Under copyright protection

No method of image protection is wholly effective, but nevertheless, Artists should take reasonable steps to defend their images from unauthorised use. The aim of this article is to show what can be done, rather than how to do it. Free tools, software, codes, and how to advice can be easily found on the Internet, once you know what to look for.Image preparationThe best form of protection is to make your images fit for use only as web graphics. 1. Don’t make your pictures any bigger than necessary. The bigger an image, the easier it is to achieve quality prints. 2. Use image compression/optimisation software to reduce the file sizes of your images. On screen, there is little difference between a compressed and uncompressed file, however compressed files can comprise up to 90% less information, and will not withstand enlargement without severe loss of quality. 3. Watermark your images. Visible watermarking is simply a matter of placing some text, or a graphic, over your image. The trick is to achieve a balance between making your watermark difficult to remove, and not overly obscuring the image.

4. Use a correctly worded copyright notice on your web pages, and as your image watermark. This should comprise the © symbol (to let others know they should not use the artist’s work without permission), the name of the copyright owner next to it (so that anyone wishing to use the image to trace the copyright holder), and the year in which the image was created (to let others know when the term of protection started).

File protectionThere are a number of easy steps that can be taken to keep your image files as inaccessible as possible.5. Protect your image directory. Most web designers put their images and graphics in suitably named folders (sub-directories). Browsers automatically look for an “index” or “default” page within each sub-directory, and if there isn’t one, they display a list of all the files in that sub-directory. This means anyone can get a complete list of all your images and grab anything they want. There isn’t much point in employing other safeguards (such as no right click) if folder content lists are accessible. To stop this happening, place an index page in each folder where you have images. The page can be a blank document, or could include an appropriate message. 6. You can stop Browsers from caching the images on your web pages, by inserting the following code HEAD tags of your web page: .7. Internet Explorer 6 has an annoying little feature called the “Image Toolbar”. Whenever your mouse hovers over an image, the Image Toolbar pops up, and invites you to save, print (etc). To disable the Image Toolbar, insert the following code between the HEAD tags of your web page: .Code techniquesThere are a number different ways in which you can use code to deter people from copying your website images, but unfortunately NONE of these are fool proof. They will only ever discourage the casual thief.8. Use a rollover script to display images. When the mouse is moved over the image, a second image appears with a copyright notice, for example. Right clicking will only grab the rollover image. 9. Null images and nested tables (or overlapping layers, or even CSS). Briefly this involves creating a transparent image (GIF or PNG) the same size as the image you wish to protect. The “real” image is placed in the first table, and the “null” image placed in a second (nested) table, so that it is in front of the real image. If you right click to save the image, the transparent GIF/PNG is grabbed.  10. Sectioning images is a process in which that image is divided into parts to form a number of separate images. These are then reassembled in a “zero border” table, recreating the original image. Right clicking will save only a section of the image.11. Disabling the mouse right click functions prevents the most common method used to grab an image. There are several JavaScripts available – with and without pop up warning messages. 12. Slide-Shows Java and Flash slide show scripts can be a good choice. The images cannot be saved directly, however, they remain vulnerable to screen grabs.Other options13. Invisible watermarking, like those created by Digimarc, digitally embeds a personal identification number within the image. They do not prevent your images from being taken, but offer proof of ownership.14. There are a number of further techniques and software options, but they all require either a little expertise, or expenditure.

Portraits by John Burton

Websites and Intellectual Property, Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights

August 7th, 2009 at 06:41pm Under copyright protection

To clear up confusion as to how to protect the Intellectual Property of websites, this article will give a brief explanation on how websites might be protected under Patent Law, Trademark Law, and Copyright Law.

The first concept to understand regarding Intellectual Property is the fact that patent law, trademark law, and copyright law overlap.  It is possible to get a patent, a trademark, and a copyright on a bicycle.  A patent can be applied for a unique braking system on the bike.  A trademark can be created for a unique and non-functional look of the bike (and word marks).  And a copyright can be extended to various graphics on the bicycle as well.  The three pillars of intellectual property: patents, copyrights, and trademarks are no mutually exclusive.

As such, a website which incorporates a novel and non-obvious method or process can be afforded patent protection.  One bad example is the Amazon 1-click patent.  This is a bad example in the sense that the patent was probably improperly issued due to serious questions related to USC 103 which requires non-obvioiusness.

A website may also be able to qualify for trademark protection through various logos, words, colors, sounds, or other source identifiers which are placed throughout the website.  A consistent look throughout the website pages can be given trademark rights.  A closely related issue may be cyber-squatting which is actually covered under another narrow law.

And a website may also have copyright rights as well.  Most websites have an assortment of images, articles, artwork, and other text which certainly comes under copyright law.  Moreover, any software running on those websites may also qualify for copyright law through their source code and object code which may be registered with the Library of Congress.

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Protect Your Invention, Trademark or Copyright in America

August 7th, 2009 at 06:42am Under copyright protection

Rapid immigration is believed to have contributed to the competitive advantages that the United States have gained in many technologies in the twentieth century. In addition to having some of the most advanced industries, the United States have always had one of the highest rates of capital formation. It is therefore understandable why a country with unparalleled working conditions, venture capital and resources has always been and will continue to be a magnet for scientists and inventors.

One of the reasons why the USA is leading the world in innovation is that they pay special attention to the protection of intellectual property. The economic sector based on intellectual property is believed to drive more economic growth than any other sector in the United States. Thus, American lawmakers have recognized the fact that economical success is increasingly dependent on intellectual property assets and it is safe to say that nowhere else in the world are the rights of creators better protected or more respected. It is their firm belief that securing intellectual property protection is of the utmost importance for businesses of all sizes and scopes, from multinational corporations to home businesses.

The three essential forms of intellectual property are patents, trademarks and copyright. If you are a foreign inventor or creator and want to protect your invention, trademark or copyright in America, you should know that there are several law firms that can assist you in achieving your goal.  Everyone who lives outside the United States and has created something valuable can protect his or her intellectual property rights in America with the help of specialized law firms. Once steps have been taken to register and protect such rights, you can also be assisted in making profit from your work through the commercialization and monetization of your intellectual property.

As you can imagine, this can be a painstaking process which is very unlikely to have the expected results unless you benefit from the valuable assistance of a specialized law firm. As has been said before, you should be able to find several law firms that can help you with registering your invention, trademark or copyright in America. However, from this point on, very few law firms offer services that assist you in the monetization of your intellectual property. But such firms do exist, and if you make an informed choice of the law firm that will guide you through the process of protecting your invention, trademark or copyright in America, you can go as far as making profit from your work and eventually immigrating to the United States on the basis of your previously achieved commercial success.

In short, this is how a good law firm can help you profit from your invention, trademark or copyright. They will search for a company or institution that might be interested in buying or marketing your work, and protect your interests by conducting negotiations with them and drafting an agreement or contract on your behalf. Following the successful commercialization of your creation, the same specialized law firm will help you get green cards for you and your family, based on that commercial success. Once again, there is only one law firm that can assist all the way through the process of protecting your invention, trademark or copyright in America, monetizing your creation and emigrating to the United States as a result of your success.