The 17-page print-out of the information at this copyright site has been twice posted on our studio bulletin board in the past month (no, not by me -- there are other suspicious lawyer types in the building), and has yet once again gone missing. I assume that it's because copyright law is such a fascinating page-turner -- I know I can hardly put it down. The bulletin board "borrowers" were probably up all night with it, and beside themselves as well (right where they belonged).
But anyway, all artists and other creative folks owe it to themselves to acquire their own copy -- preferably not by stealth -- for a quick read and then ready reference in their art files, not only to avoid copyright infringement liability, but to understand their rights in their own creations.
And since this has slightly skewed the thread away from the topic, I'll just add that most of the world, and its inhabitants, have not been photographed, either exhaustively or at all, and even if they have, it wasn't with our own unique perspective, intuition and talents. It's worth creatively considering that trove of subject matter, and skipping the photograph copyright hassles entirely. Or at least just insist on working only from your own photographic creations.
That'll keep the lawyers out of it, and as the legally-beset Martha says, "That's a good thing."
|