When Your Camera Serial Number Is Not Your Own...

Copyright Protection is a royal pain in the behind for most people. Even more so when your camera has the same serial number as someone else. It just so happens that my D300s has the same serial number as a particular person on the east coast of Canada that has a D60.

Here's the Gadgettrak search on my D300s' serial number and the result of that search has turned up quite a few entries, not including my own 4 results all labelled D300s. All of the other person's are labelled D60.



Now what this means is that I have to go to extraordinary measures to prove that my images are MY images. I have all RAW files for each and every file that I have placed up on 500px.com. I will be purchasing Nikon's Image Authentication Software as well as Nikon Capture NX2; I will be filing copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office. I am also expending the cost of a Nikon GP-1 GPS unit to location-authenticate my images from now on. (I'm sorry to any person who likes their privacy, but my copyright protection is more important than privacy issues (at least $150,000 worth for each image potentially stolen)) And I will be putting a digital watermark on each and every image that I put up for sale on my website.


Nikon GP-1 GPS

This may seem like a big deal over a bunch of numbers, however after having 6 of my images stolen via webcrawler and having to enforce a DMCA takedown notice to get the offender to remove them, I have gotten very paranoid about my images and protecting my copyright. Afterall no-one else cares about your images' copyright BUT YOU.

All because a camera manufacturer likes to recycle serial numbers for different camera makes. I certainly hope that Nikon takes this to heart and decides to use model numbers in their serial numbers to differentiate right from the outset that such and such picture was taken by such and such camera. I'd prefer their numbering for semi-pro and pro bodies to be XXXXXXX(7 digit serial#)+(cameramodel#) (for example XXXXXXXD300S or XXXXXXXD3X). That would make it much simpler to differentiate between cameras then they can recycle numbers all they like. Just don't do it within the camera model# or then you're opening yourself up to major problems.

Let's just hope that Nikon takes this to heart because recycling serial numbers opens your company up to a major league lawsuit.