Adam McLean
I don't understand how you seem so clear that you
have the right to use copyright images in your tarot deck.
Your cards seem to be based primarily on 19th century
classical style paintings. Being 19th century does not
mean one has the right to reproduce these from modern
colour photographs or scans. The owner of the painting,
a museum or gallery, still retains ownership of the right
to reproduce an image from a modern photograph of their
paintings. Often they contract this right out to one of the
commercial picture libraries who make rather large charges
for this.
The image in a 19th century painting is not itself copyright,
thus one can paint a facsimile copy of a classic artwork,
but one cannot use modern photographs from which
to make printed reproductions.
You say "considerations of copyright have been addressed"
and "Photoshop and copyright images I have purchased".
Are these 'copyright free' images? Are you sure you have bought
the right to reproduce along with buying the image? In my
experience museums and commercial picture libraries charge
well over $100 for the use of a photograph like this.
Commercial picture libraries will sue anyone breaching their
copyright so make sure you have understood the copyright
rules before publishing the images.
It is also strange that you think to apply your own copyright
notice over these images. If these are public domain images
(which I wonder about) then you cannot obtain copyright over
them. No museum or commercial picture library would allow
you to assert copyright over their images.
It might seem great if people could just lift images from
modern books use them to make tarot cards. A few people
do this, Swwooshie, for example, but they avoid pursuit
for copyright infrigment because their work is obscure and
not widely promoted. I think that before you put long, long
hours into creating the deck, you make sure you have
watertight clearance on your right to copy these images
and use them in a published deck.
There is little problem is doing this as a virtual deck
produced as low resolution images (unprintable) and placed
on a web site. No one is ever pursued for using material
(even though it is within copyright) on web sites. You will find
many examples of this in the decks of F.J. Campos.
have the right to use copyright images in your tarot deck.
Your cards seem to be based primarily on 19th century
classical style paintings. Being 19th century does not
mean one has the right to reproduce these from modern
colour photographs or scans. The owner of the painting,
a museum or gallery, still retains ownership of the right
to reproduce an image from a modern photograph of their
paintings. Often they contract this right out to one of the
commercial picture libraries who make rather large charges
for this.
The image in a 19th century painting is not itself copyright,
thus one can paint a facsimile copy of a classic artwork,
but one cannot use modern photographs from which
to make printed reproductions.
You say "considerations of copyright have been addressed"
and "Photoshop and copyright images I have purchased".
Are these 'copyright free' images? Are you sure you have bought
the right to reproduce along with buying the image? In my
experience museums and commercial picture libraries charge
well over $100 for the use of a photograph like this.
Commercial picture libraries will sue anyone breaching their
copyright so make sure you have understood the copyright
rules before publishing the images.
It is also strange that you think to apply your own copyright
notice over these images. If these are public domain images
(which I wonder about) then you cannot obtain copyright over
them. No museum or commercial picture library would allow
you to assert copyright over their images.
It might seem great if people could just lift images from
modern books use them to make tarot cards. A few people
do this, Swwooshie, for example, but they avoid pursuit
for copyright infrigment because their work is obscure and
not widely promoted. I think that before you put long, long
hours into creating the deck, you make sure you have
watertight clearance on your right to copy these images
and use them in a published deck.
There is little problem is doing this as a virtual deck
produced as low resolution images (unprintable) and placed
on a web site. No one is ever pursued for using material
(even though it is within copyright) on web sites. You will find
many examples of this in the decks of F.J. Campos.
