Internet News is reporting that Google and A9 must stop showing images from Adult Content provider Perfect 10. The basic problem is that Google was creating thumbnails of the copyrighted images and showing them for free, where as Perfect 10 was trying to sell them for use on cellphones.

The simple solution, from my perspective, is for Google to watermark all thumbnails with the domain where Google found them. This would have three effects;

1. The watermark would destroy the value of the thumbnails for other use.


2. In the case where the image was found on the site of the copyright holder, it would provide them with free advertising.


3. In the case where the image was found on an unauthorized site, the watermark would point copyright holders at the source of the image and not at Google.

It seems like a simple, technical solution where both parties would win.