What happened to the watermarks?

[rebeccawang]

I have watermarks enabled. This weekend, I accidentally clicked on an image on one of my product pages, and saw the full size image had no watermark? Is this a bug that will be fixed?

[LMGildersleeve]

If you use the Search here in the forums you may find an answer. This has been asked about before.

[rebeccawang]

I did search the forum. Others have asked but it was never answered.

[pattycimzah]

Has Zazzle answered why the watermarks are missing??? Are they even aware? I can't even find the posts that were up yesterday regarding "missing watermarks". I have the box checked to enable watermarks in my settings and the watermarks are not appearing on any of my designs. Also, the images are now larger than they used to be, so anyone can copy these images and use them without paying for it. 😡

[L-Zazz]

same problem here

[Windy]

I have same problem, and I see that in other parts of the forum, quite a few others can't see their watermarks either. Thanks for asking about it in the technical forum. I think the mods will see it here and give us an answer.

[rebeccawang]

If this watermark issue is not addressed or solved soon, I will have no choice but to deactivate my products and store.  My products are made with my own original artworks. I paint these by hand on canvas. They are registered by the Copyright office. Allowing any Tom **bleep** or Harry to have access to my artwork in a very high resolution compromises my copyright and is only going to make copyright infringement and theft skyrocket. It is already a major issue for me, this is beyond what I can tolerate.

[MsSnazzy]

I agree with you. I noted in a prior message that a relative of mine told me they acted as though they were going to purchase an invitation (by typing in the info for the party). They then proceeded to screen shot the invitation and went their merry little way and send it via text messages to guests. 😡  I am so pissed right now with this entire watermark situation! Zazzle does not care. If you read their blurb about watermarks they actually preferred and highly recommended we DID NOT use watermarks. Why? Because it really benefits them, not us. They're afraid customers will not purchase if they see a watermark. They also mentioned something about when the images come up in search engines they are not as prominent do to watermarks? Absolutely ridamndiculous...

[Soumya]

I totally agree. This is concerning. And they haven't responded in weeks. What the hell?

[driveindustries]

Watermarks are off across the board. Just look at Disney and Marvel. Zazzle you need to respond.

[driveindustries]

Crickets!

[Soumya]

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ONLY reason I was okay with larger sized previews of my work on Zazzle was because of the watermark ability. But now the watermarks have been missing for WEEKS! What is this? Does Zazzle have the right to facilitate violation of OUR copyright? We did NOT agree to this.

Please look into this!

[JLynnW]

(Disclaimer: I have not and do not wish to use watermarks, so I actually should have no say in this particular matter) but... I am curious/interested/concerned that there has been no response from Zazzle on this matter.  There are multiple issues that are brought up on the forum that are not addressed by any member of Zazzle that could/should be or, at the least, be acknowledged.  I, personally, try to go with the flow and accept what is and what will be, will be. Given all the changes happening, delays in responses and explanations may be understanding, but common courtesy in its simplest form should not be taken for granted. This comment could be applied to any number of topics brought up on the forum lately.  Replies by fellow "Zazzlers" are always appreciated, but simple acknowledgement by Zazzle "itself" could be reassuring, encouraging and validating.  There is a difference between allowing others to "vent" or riding it out knowing that changes are coming that will eventually address an issue and totally ignoring a question or issue.  Not acknowledging a question or concern almost naturally leads leaves others to believe that possibly and regrettably the issue in question had not been thought of or planned for and this is disconcerting.  Discontinued fonts, font replacements, editable designs, blurry images and watermarks are some of the issues that should and could be at the very least be acknowledged by Zazzle, if not addressed directly. Thank you for your consideration.  Truthfully, with all due respect, I do not anticipate a response.

[James]

Hi Creators, 

Thank you so much for your patience while we digested your comments regarding the recent Watermark update. We truly appreciate it!

We recently made a change to how watermarks appear on images hosted on Zazzle. Up until recently, watermarks would appear on images larger than 700px in size. Notably, this would mean when a user expanded a preview image on the product page, a watermark would appear. 

We have and continue to watermark all digital assets to provide store owners to assist in deterring image theft.

Over the past few years, we have seen a significant increase in Zazzle customers using a high pixel density display – which includes most smart phones, tablets, and most modern computers. For these customers, the low threshold resulted in watermarks appearing on a variety of images throughout the site, including in the design tool itself - which would ultimately have a negative impact on your product sales.
In response to changing consumer trends, we recently made the decision to slightly increase the watermark threshold to ensure all of our customers are able to view nice, clear images as they search for, customize, and purchase the perfect product. This change does mean customers who: (1) are using a high pixel density display, and (2) who view the expanded preview image on a product page will no longer see a watermark. Rest assured, watermarks still display for all customers at the new watermark threshold.

As a reminder, the watermark feature can be enabled or disabled in the Advanced Settings page of your store. This feature is disabled by default because we’ve found that it can reduce sales.

Thank you,

The Z Team.

[Anne]

Thank you, James. I also noted the save the image leads to a 500x500 download where it was previously 325x325.
I find 700x700 very large. Certainly for business cards I consider that to be a BIG problem (also literally) :-).

Thank you.

[rebeccawang]

The preview image is 1024 pixels, so screencapping and printing out the image will be easier for the customer.

[Kaleiope]

Having a design stolen and uploaded to amazon or wish, or printed at home or at walgreens or wherever has a much more "negative impact" on our product sales than watermarks

[rebeccawang]

FYI: After some testing, I found that the threshold for watermarks appearing, at least on my end, is 1080 pixels, with watermarks appearing at 1081 pixels and above. Previously the threshold was 699 pixels (with the watermarks appearing at 700 pixels and up).  In addition according to James, even above 1081 pixels many customers will not even see a watermark, basically rendering them non existent. At 1080 pixels and crisp clear preview images, image theft is all but guaranteed. This is unacceptable.

[UlyssePixel]

Hi @James , would it be possible to allow each creator to choose the threshold for watermarking ? It could be a value the creator define in the  Advanced Settings page of the store (at the same place as the where the watermark feature can be enabled or disabled.

After all, this is a personal choice of each creator. Some might want to take the risk with a 1080 pixels threshold and others might chose a 700 or even 100 pixels threshold.

[rebeccawang]

I like this idea a lot. Otherwise I have to remove all my products from my store and set a lot of them as hidden or direct only.

[driveindustries]

No matter what pixel threshold, no watermarks appear on any of my products. I have a 4k 27" monitor, iPad  & iPhone with Retina displays. And in all cases I can screen cap super high detailed images of my art. No wonder when the counterfeiters sell it on Amazon it gets great reviews. You & I are losing money. And once that art is out in the digital world it never goes away. My heart goes out to business card and invitation designers. Customers can just come into Zazzle customize their verbiage and steal the design to be printed at cheap digital print houses or just email their invites! That use to be big business for Zazzle.

Zazzle use to care. What happened?

[rebeccawang]

I already have to deal a LOT with massive infringement of my artwork, this is handing the thieves my artwork on a silver platter, to do with what they want! 

[Anne]

What happened is that Zazzle seems to have gone "woke" as this is a fool-proof way to destroy the business. And like you say, especially the business cards and invitations are going to be stolen.

I wonder if we can sue Zazzle for the lack of protection of our property on their site.
Or can we expect them to go after Etsy, Amazon and what else to get our designs back?
Never mind all the work that gets stolen and we never know about it ...
This is just AWFUL.

[Shakenbake]

This isn't what "woke" means and I implore you to not use it this way or as a pejorative. 

[Shakenbake]

This is exactly what is happening, and it's heartbreaking. It's bad enough that people delete all the text on invites and then pin them blank to Pinterest so that basically our backgrounds are readily available for people to use, but being able to edit and screenshot (its **bleep** near print resolution on my ipad pro - just a little resize and the quality is almost crisp enough the average joe isn't going to notice or care and will be happy with it) and print yourself or locallly. I try to exhale and accept some of that is going to happen, but it's frustrating that it appears now to be getting EASIER rather than a bit more difficult for theives. 

[KristinRavelle]

It's starting already with my Christmas invites.  A customer bought just 1 and although I don't have any direct proof, I will bet said customer will take that single copy to a local printer.  There also needs to be a minimum number purchased if it's an invite.

[driveindustries]

Today, I reported to Amazon and AliExpress at least a dozen images that I created that were stolen from my Zazzle store. How do I know this? Because these images are specifically unique to my Zazzle store, images that I have posted nowhere else. The images are being used on counterfeit products sold on the Amazon Marketplace and AliExpress, products that have appeared since Zazzle changed its watermark threshold. 

I am deeply concerned that in the near future, I could find a torrent of other illustrations that I have created exclusively for my Zazzle stores that will show up in counterfeit products on the Amazon Marketplace and elsewhere. This is costing me (and you, Zazzle) lost sales. It is bad enough that your change to your watermarking policy is affecting small businesses like mine. I found that a counterfeiter can do the very same thing described in this forum to Zazzle's largest creators, namely huge companies like Disney and their priceless properties (think Mickey Mouse). Will it take an angry letter to Zazzle from a Disney intellectual property attorney to have you change your policy?

I also design products for online print-on-demand stores such as Spoonflower and have NEVER had images stolen from these outlets. Compared to Zazzle, your competitors go to much greater lengths to protect the intellectual property of their creators. WHY IS ZAZZLE NOT DOING THE SAME THING FOR THE VERY CREATORS WHO MAKE YOUR COMPANY A VIABLE BUSINESS? It is not merely watermarking. Look at how Spoonflower, RedBubble, Society6, and others protect their producers' images. Please, Zazzle, please, do the same for us. 

Image theft not only hurts your producers; it significantly decreases your sales.  I ask that you please be forthright with us and act to protect our creations. 

PS I have tried several times to reset the watermarking protection in the Settings and I have made sure that this is checked. It has NEVER been UNCHECKED. And yet, there are NO watermarks protecting my products. To date, this function continues to NOT WORK. 

[MsSnazzy]

I agree with both you and @Soumya . I would also like to confirm that the statement "As a reminder, the watermark feature can be enabled or disabled in the Advanced Settings page of your store" is inaccurate. There is no longer an option available to do this.

While it's appreciated that @James responded, I feel that our outcries do not hold much weight here. A forum moderator is not going to do anything but give us boilerplate language from the higher ups. At the end of the day Zazzle is his/her employer - they represent Zazzle, not us. 

If we really want action, we need to contact the decision makers. Robert Beaver is the CEO. He will filter it accordingly. There is also strength in numbers. Twenty-three to twenty-five complaintees is not a force. I recently signed a huge petition on Etsy regarding their fee increases. This is something else to consider.

[Soumya]

Thank you for the response @James

Could anyone from Zazzle tell us, that if this was going to be such a conscious "take it or leave" policy, (and not some temporary technical glitch as some of us initially thought, because it's so incredible that Zazzle would do this deliberately), then why were Creators not informed of this BEFORE this update went live?

Knowing how sensitive the copyright infringement issue is for some Creators, why didn't Zazzle consider giving us all a heads-up at least? So, then we could have been alerted and probably got our vulnerable listings down before it went live. I agree with @driveindustries that once it's out there, it's hard to get it down. I had to once give up my chase because they were EVERYWHERE on Amazon, Ebay, Walmart, and some local sites too. As an individual designer-artist, I do NOT have the time, energy, and/or resources to chase thieves all day.

Why did Zazzle do this without warning? Is there an international competition being held somewhere for 'The Best Jerk Move By A Corporate' and Zazzle wants to win it desperately?

[MsSnazzy]

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[rebeccawang]

@MsSnazzy  did you delete that or did the moderators delete it

[MsSnazzy]

Hi. I did. I inadvertently copied and pasted another commenter's text. There was no option to delete so I had to edit this way.

[driveindustries]

Latest boiler plate email from Zazzle...

'

[driveindustries]

Yes, watermarks can reduce sales... especially to the criminals who are counterfeiting our designs!

[Soumya]

Wow, mine, @rebeccawang and @Anne 's previous messages have been deleted by moderators. It is an important matter that designers need to know about. Zazzle is again not giving us a heads-up. I'm disappointed.

[Anne]

Wow, thank you Soumya!
I did not know. Also don't know what I said that was removed. So the moderators are now on the forum on weekends as well?
Or did we say something that shocking that they came out of bed? 🙂
Since they apparently got that upset, our remarks were probably spot-on. 
And secondly: I most likely will say something along those lines again because I have no clue what I did wrong.
Very perceptive of you, Soumya, and thanks again.
It's very upsetting that Zazzle is giving away for free our work and even more not to be able to say something about it.

[zzzlcomms]

The recent watermark threshold changes are very disconcerting. I recently chose Zazzle as a POD provider specifically for the watermarks appearing in the smaller, ~< 700px preview images.

I do realize there are programs that can remove watermarks with varying degrees of success, since I've had work stolen from other PODs that used watermarks, although their respective watermarking schemes were weak
at best and especially problematic with previews that resulted in flat 2D images of the original artwork. It's even possible to remove watermarks in photo manipulation programs with a bit of effort as well.

Zazzle does have one advantage over many PODs with the 3D image projections of the artwork over certain types of products such as mugs, since it is more difficult to recreate a flat 2D image of the original artwork. However, when the 3D projection results in a flat 2D preview of the products as in prints, cards, invitations, etcetera, there is probably less protection so to speak.

Personally, I would love the ability to pick and choose which product previews were shown and would opt only for those with a 3D projection and not a flat 2D preview. There was mention in this topic about about having the options to set our own thresholds...that would be awesome.

I'm a bit weary of allowing customization since it's possible to get flat 2D images of the artwork in the design view, so it will definitely limit the scope of products I'm willing to offer in my store(s) at this point.

Oh well... 😩😃

[driveindustries]

So now after filing takedown notices with Amazon for all (or as many as I can find) of my stolen Zazzle images, one of the thieves disputed it. And now I have to file a lawsuit within 10 days to keep it down. So who is going to pay for that? Zazzle? I think not. Maybe if they had protected our images I (and we) would not be in this mess. But I get that they don't care. When it comes down to the time for the IPO I am warning you we will not be silent. Fix your mess NOW and show some backbone! (Enjoy this post before it is taken down!)

[Soumya]

One of the thieves actually disputed it? Wow, that means they have done this before to other artists, and got away with it. Repeat Offender detected. They are counting on you not filing a lawsuit. There's a chance they must have stolen from other artists too. If you can track down the other artists and alert them, and then if they also send the thief takedown notices within quick succession, then it's possible the thief will back down on their own.

What are you planning to do?

[Anne]

😭