Visible Copyright Notice - According to the Law

What is legally required to avoid having your photos "innocently" used and/or published by others as being royalty free images? This is a brief explanation from the Copyright PDF of what is required to enforce a copyright. This also explains why the year of creation is required.

http://www.copyright....

From the PDF: "Form of Notice for Visually Perceptible Copies The notice for visually perceptible copies should contain all the following three elements: 1 The symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright", or the abbreviation "Copr."; and 2 The year of first publication of the work. In the case of compilations or derivative works incorporating previously published material, the year date of first publication of the compilation or derivative work is sufficient. The year date may be omitted where a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work, with accompanying textual matter, if any, is reproduced in or on greeting cards, postcards, stationery, jewelry, dolls, toys, or any useful article; and 3 The name of the owner of copyright in the work, or an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation of the owner. Example: © 2008 John Doe"

Also from the PDF: "Use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication. Furthermore, in the event that a work is infringed, if a proper notice of copyright appears on the published copy or copies to which a defendant in a copyright infringement suit had access, then no weight shall be given to such a defendant?s interposition of a defense based on innocent infringement in mitigation of actual or statutory damages, except as provided in section 504(c)(2) of the copyright law. Innocent infringement occurs when the infringer did not realize that the work was protected." As such proper legally enforceable copyright notification includes the year of first publication. Note: as indicated above a hidden, embedded, or pop-up watermark does not meet this standard of a copyright notice being visible.