We know this problem — a client takes a screenshot of an unpurchased photo from the gallery and removes the watermark to avoid paying. To prevent this, we have introduced the copyright acceptance requirement feature. Before a client can see the thumbnails, they must consciously check a declaration acknowledging respect for your work ("I understand and will comply"). This acts as an effective mental barrier, discouraging unauthorized file downloads.
Key benefits and use cases
Revenue protection: Reduces the risk of photo theft via screenshots, protecting your compensation for additional shots.
Client education: Clearly makes clients aware (e.g. parents during preschool or school photo sessions) that the photos are protected by copyright.
How to enable the copyright acceptance requirement in settings
To enable this feature for a selected gallery, follow the steps below:
Go to Edit gallery settings in the gallery you want to additionally protect.
Scroll down to the section titled Photo protecion.
Find and check the checkbox named Require copyright confirmation.
Click the Save button at the very bottom of the page.
Important: The copyright acceptance requirement option must be enabled for each gallery individually. This configuration applies to a specific gallery, not to the global settings of your entire Mafelo account.
Why a psychological barrier instead of a technical screenshot block?
We are often asked about the possibility of technically blocking screenshots in the gallery. In today's Internet, this is not technically possible. Web browsers do not grant websites permission to block the system-level functions of a phone or computer.
Attempting to block keys (e.g. PrintScreen or the right mouse button) is only a false sense of security, because:
It is easy to bypass: Anyone can use a system snipping tool or a simple browser extension.
It does not work on smartphones: Keyboard-based protections do not function at all on mobile devices, and that is what the majority of your clients use.
Instead of implementing solutions that do not work, at Mafelo we chose a method based on psychology (the commitment and consistency principle described, among others, by Prof. Robert Cialdini). Educating clients and requiring them to make an active declaration of honesty just before entering the gallery produces significantly better, long-lasting results. People find it much harder to break rules they have just signed up to themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Will this feature technically prevent taking a screenshot on a phone?
No, the copyright acceptance requirement feature does not technically block the ability to take screenshots at the operating system level. To technically prevent a screenshot, the system would have to block the built-in functions of the client's phone, which browsers do not allow. This tool works as an effective psychological barrier, discouraging theft just before the photos are displayed.
Will my clients see this message on every visit to the gallery?
To access the photos, a client must check the declaration on their first visit to a protected gallery. If a client clears their browser cookies or opens the gallery link on a completely new device, they will be asked to accept the copyright terms again.
