A Word About Copyright

Mageborn777

copyright insurance for artists

I noticed there wasn't anything posted about what to do when you finally get your creation ready for publication and are waiting on the registered copyright papers to appear at your door. Many years ago when the earth was still cooling a copyright attorney suggested I take the entire body of work, package it nice and solid, and send it to myself via registered mail Then when it arrives. do not under any circumstances open the package. Actually leave it forever if you can. Because what you have is a valid government parcel complete with dates, official stamps, and valid signatures that prove beyond a doubt it's your work. According to her it would hold up in any court on the planet.
I did that. Still have it. So far haven't needed it. And yes my work is registered through the US copyright office in Washington DC.
Not taking any chances here.
 

baba-prague

Elven said:
Hi Baba ..
Im curious, and I know it applies to different countries, but I photograph grave yards often, crypts, tomb stones and graves, and some of them are on public access land, some are not, they are on private land and held in heritage trust .. some has historical reference, some have locked gates and time accessability to the grounds ... though many of these are supervised sites .. some are owned by the Church or the Chapel which is on them ... I suppose they act as caretakers for the grounds, but they also sell the plots of land for the graves ... I dont know then if these are then owned by the family or the Church .. or are public??

Sorry, just saw this. The answer is that I don't know - we only shoot in public graveyards. I think it would depend on how land and property rights work in your country.
 

Lleminawc

Azurylipfe said:
Another thing i was wondering about, The copyright rules are they the same over the whole world or does every continent has its own whit the base and slighty other changes in it?
Every COUNTRY has its own copyright laws. For example, the number of years that copyright lasts after death of the author varies from one jurisdiction to another, which is why you can find literary texts published on US-based websites even if they are still subject to copyright in the UK or Europe.
 

baba-prague

Lleminawc said:
Every COUNTRY has its own copyright laws. For example, the number of years that copyright lasts after death of the author varies from one jurisdiction to another, which is why you can find literary texts published on US-based websites even if they are still subject to copyright in the UK or Europe.

Yes, it's true, but they are rapidly being standardised, so there is much more consistency internationally than there used to be.
 

AJ

I wonder where euripides went, haven't seen her for months.
 

lunafae

Thank you as I have been in contact with a company who have told me the copyrights on their graphics are ok for me to use public domain. I am still worried that if I do make the deck that this is still a grey area.
 

karenquilter

Thanks for all this information on copyright. Also for the link to the article by Theodora Michaels, it's very good.
 

Uma

What if you trace the outline of an image from a photograph -- is that okay?
 

fina

Change In Medium?

I am under the impression (could be wrong) that copyright only applies under the same medium unless stated otherwise. I'm not sure how medium is defined. The game Tetris was originally copyrighted by Atari for PC, but Nintendo was able to scoop it for console because the copyright did not cover the change of medium from PC to console.

So, if copyright does not transfer between mediums, could you draw a picture of a painting without copyright infringement? Would putting an image onto a Tarot card be considered changing medium (you could possibly argue that Tarot cards are more than just paper)?
 

fina

I also noticed this on wikipedia when looking at old paintings:

"This is a faithful photographic reproduction of an original two-dimensional work of art. The original image comprising the work of art itself is in the public domain for the following reason:

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.

This applies to the United States, Canada, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
Under United States copyright law, originality of expression is necessary for copyright protection, and a mere photograph of an out-of-copyright work may not be protected under U.S.copyright law. This photograph was taken in the U.S. or in another country where a similar rule applies.

This photographic reproduction is therefore also in the public domain."

So, what I get from this is that a photo of an expired image cannot be copyrighted. Am I correct?