# Can I prevent someone from copying an image from a website?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-prevent-someone-from-copying-an-image-from-a-website/515190>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 26, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-prevent-someone-from-copying-an-image-from-a-website/515190 "2009-10-26T16:00:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-prevent-someone-from-copying-an-image-from-a-website/515190/21 "2009-10-27T08:25:18Z")

</div>

> [@Palooka](#):
>
> How about instead of displaying the image in flash, you display a looping movie of the image? Since it’s being directly inserted into the overlay, they shouldn’t be able to grab it with print screen at all.

Sophiscated screen capturing software, such as the freeware MWSnap, could still grab images from the screen because it access the video memory.

Well, this is probably overkill: code a Direct3D or OpenGL application and display the image, and disable printscreen, disable ALT-TAB and run as a window, and lock all keyboard inputs so you can’t activate any TSR screenshot capturers or FRAPs

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-prevent-someone-from-copying-an-image-from-a-website/515190.md?page=1)