According to site OhGizmo, camera manufacturer Canon has filed a patent for a camera that will take a photo of a photographer’s iris as they take a picture.

This iris image will then act as a watermark and could help snappers identify unlicensed use of their images – particularly online.

On the copyright theme, Kevin Smith, co-founder of picture agency Splash News, discussed with Journalism.co.uk the merits of Scan X – the technology employed by the agency to track their content online and protect revenue.

Smith admitted that the procedure was expensive for Splash – as such putting it out of reach for independent and freelance photographers. However, patents such as Canon’s could see this technology dripping through to a more affordable level.