Frequently Asked Questions

Is CopyNo 100% fool-proof? 95% of all individual, illegally posted, copyrighted images are the result of traditional "mouse-click" downloading. Adding CopyNo warning/protection to an image dramatically reduces the ability to download protected images by Java-enabled browsers. However, there are other methods of illegally downloading images, and if anyone wants to do so, they can find a way -- but that's what makes CopyNo such a multi-leveled concept. We prevent the ability to download an individual image in the "traditional" mouse-click manner, yet if one is so inclined to "get" the image, they do after realizing that the individual image cannot be downloaded with a simple mouse-click, and so must make a willful and calculated effort to disregard the copyright notice and employ another method to download the image in "bad faith". The penalties for such illegal and intrusive download may be far more serious than had the violation been the result of simple mouse-click downloading.

Ha! CopyNo doesn't work! I know enough about tech matters that I was able to download the image! You've just proven how CopyNo works on multi-levels. You couldn't download the image using the mouse-click method, you saw the CopyNo notices, but you still went out of your way to violate the creator's copyright. Illegally post the image to the Internet and the creator will be able to demonstrate to a court that fair and significant warning was given you regarding its' copyright -- but you illegally downloaded the image anyway. Trust us: Getting sued for copyright infringement is NO fun at all!

I'm a creator and want to start adding CopyNo warning/protection to my images. What's this gonna cost me? Not a dime -- for 72 hours. After that point, there is a $20.00 (US) shareware / registration fee for CopyNo (up to version 2.0) to artists, illustrators, photographers, designers and visual creators. If you're a commercial site, please inquire about licensing options.

What's "water-marking" and can it protect my images? A watermark can be visible or "invisible". Typically, a visible watermark is a copyright notice that appears OVER an image posted to the Internet. It is viewable on the hosting web site and (in theory) prevents others from uploading the image to their site -- because the copyright image appears conspicuously. From a visual creator's standpoint, visible watermarks are not always ideal because they obscure the artist's original image and, in some cases, the watermark itself can be removed through digital manipulation.

Does CopyNo work with every browser? No web-based application works with every browser and operating system configuration. CopyNo works with JavaScript-enabled browsers -- and current Internet statistics claim that 98% of all browsers are indeed JavaScript-enabled

Who's behind CopyNo? Bob and Ryan Staake. Bob is the respected illustrator, and Ryan is his techno-savvy son. Frustrated over his illustrations being illegally downloaded and re-published on the Internet, the former Staake vowed to create a system that could be used by ALL visual artists to better protect and defend the copyright of their images. Together, the Staakes developed the CopyNo multi-level copyright warning/system and began making it available in February 2002.