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16 <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
17 <Metadata name="Page_topic">museum art reproductions right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
18 <Metadata name="Content">right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
19 <Metadata name="Title">The Right to Display Public Domain Images: Copyright and fair use, Bridgeman vs Corel, museums vs the public, etc</Metadata>
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33
34&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
35 &lt;tr&gt;
36 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
37 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
38 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
39 &lt;/tr&gt;
40 &lt;tr&gt;
41 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
42 &lt;td width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
43 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
44 &lt;/tr&gt;
45 &lt;tr&gt;
46 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
47 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
48 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
49 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightba.gif&quot; width=&quot;422&quot; height=&quot;162&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
50 &lt;blockquote&gt;
51 &lt;hr&gt;
52 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I created this page in 1999 as a common sense
53 &lt;I&gt;introduction&lt;/I&gt; to copyright terms.&amp;nbsp; It also discusses the Bridgeman vs
54 Corel decision and public domain issues.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
55 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;The issue of copyright was most
56 eloquently discussed - and the concept of public domain most eloquently
57 defended - by the historian Thomas Macaulay in 1841.&amp;nbsp; Please
58 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.baen.com%2flibrary%2fpalaver4.htm&quot;&gt;read his speeches&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
59 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#FF0000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;updated 1
60 October 2004:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had to share this news with public domain
61 advocates.&amp;nbsp; I was reading through some of the Congressional speeches
62 regarding copyright and came across this gem - Congresswoman Mary Bono
63 (whose late husband pushed through one of the most disastrous copyright
64 laws ever) was reminded that the US Constitution prohibits perpetual
65 intellectual property rights.&amp;nbsp; Her response?&amp;nbsp; The copyright term
66 should be &amp;quot;forever minus one day&amp;quot;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
67 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I'm serious.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
68 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;If that doesn't offend and alarm you,
69 what will?&amp;nbsp; If she had her way, you wouldn't be able to read The
70 Bible for free.&amp;nbsp; Please consider this issue when you vote.&amp;nbsp; This
71 is one of the great unreported stories in the US, Europe and now, sadly,
72 Australia.&amp;nbsp; Yes, the Aussies signed (August 2004) a free-trade
73 agreement with the US which required that Australia accept our draconian
74 copyright laws.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
75 &lt;hr&gt;
76 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
77 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Definition of terms used on this
78 page -&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
79
80 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;COPYRIGHT - &lt;/B&gt;The legal right given to a writer, composer, artist,
81 or a distributor to exclusive production, sale, or distribution of their
82 work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does COPYRIGHT exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It allows artists to profit
83 from their work.&amp;nbsp; Profit, in turn, creates an incentive to work and
84 distribute the work.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
85
86 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
87
88 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;PUBLIC DOMAIN&lt;/B&gt; - the status of publications, products, and
89 processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.&amp;nbsp; All
90 images at this site are in the public domain, and have been for several
91 hundred years. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does PUBLIC DOMAIN exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It exists to
92 allow the free exchange of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; If it did not, museums would
93 be allowed to keep images under perpetual copyright, thus denying everyone
94 the opportunity to view, critique, or otherwise examine works. &lt;BR&gt;Please
95 note that most 20th century works of art are not yet considered part of
96 the PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;Click
97 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.unc.edu%2f%7eunclng%2fpublic-d.htm&quot;&gt;here&lt;/a&gt; to view a chart of
98 when works pass into the public domain.&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
99
100 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
101
102 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;FAIR USE&lt;/B&gt; - Fair use is a limitation on the exclusive rights of
103 the copyright owner; in other words, it allows reasonable public access to
104 copyrighted works. &lt;BR&gt;The idea is an important part of the English
105 common-law tradition. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does FAIR USE exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;FAIR USE
106 allows people to use images and written works without compensating the
107 original writer/creator, as long as they act in good faith and do not
108 profit from reproducing the work.&amp;nbsp; Education, parody, criticism, news
109 reporting, etc are all examples of fair use. &lt;BR&gt;The idea of FAIR USE has
110 guided the use of reproductions of works for years.&amp;nbsp; In most cases,
111 the lack of commercial gain is necessary for a claim of fair use.&amp;nbsp; If
112 you are a non-profit website designed for educational purposes, you are in
113 the perfect position to claim FAIR USE of images which are already in the
114 PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
115 &lt;blockquote&gt;
116 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
117
118 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
119
120 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;
121 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightelizabeth.jpg&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; alt=&quot;Wm Scrots's portrait of 13 year old Princess Elizabeth, c1546&quot; width=&quot;250&quot; height=&quot;334&quot;&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
122
123 &lt;P&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Yes, we live in a world where the Scrots portrait
124 of the future Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be under copyright - but
125 Elizabeth's own letters / speeches / poetry have been in the public domain
126 for centuries....&amp;nbsp; Funny.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
127
128 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For a long time, the FAIR USE doctrine occupied a grey area of law,
129 usually decided on a case-by-case basis.&amp;nbsp; Typically, if someone were
130 profiting from another person's work which was not in the PUBLIC DOMAIN,
131 it was not considered fair use.&amp;nbsp; Museums typically did not sue
132 non-profit websites which reproduced images for educational
133 purposes.&amp;nbsp; If they had, the court would have forced them to prove a
134 substantial loss of profit from the use.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, such proof
135 would not exist and the court would not look favorably upon such a
136 vindictive case, particularly since the images were already in the public
137 domain. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
138 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;However, on 18th February 1999, the grey area was cleared
139 considerably.&amp;nbsp; Fair Use was no longer a murky legal issue to be
140 debated by webmasters and museums.&amp;nbsp; The United States District Court
141 for the Southern District of New York decided the following case -
142 &lt;/font&gt;
143&lt;/P&gt;
144 &lt;CENTER&gt;
145 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel
146 Corporation, et ano., Defendants.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;97 Civ. 6232
147 (LAK)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/CENTER&gt;
148 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Their decision was one of the most important copyright decision
149 affecting museums ever filed.&amp;nbsp; The decision was based on both US and
150 UK copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
151 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE CASE &amp;amp; WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;The
152 Bridgeman Art Library had made photographic reproductions of famous works
153 of art from museums around the world (works already in the public
154 domain.)&amp;nbsp; The Corel Corporation used those reproductions for an
155 educational CD-ROM without paying Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp; Bridgeman claimed
156 copyright infringement. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
157 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;WHAT DID THE COURT DECIDE?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;The Court ruled that
158 reproductions of images in the public domain are not protected by
159 copyright if the reproductions are slavish or lacking in originality.
160 &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
161 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In their opinion, the Court noted:&amp;nbsp; ''There is little doubt that many
162 photographs, probably the overwhelming majority, reflect at least the
163 modest amount of originality required for copyright protection....&amp;nbsp;
164 But 'slavish copying', although doubtless requiring technical skill and
165 effort, does not qualify.'' &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
166 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;In other words, an exact reproduction of an image in the public
167 domain does not possess creativity itself.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, the
168 reproduction is not protected under copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
169 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It's important to me because it
170 allows me to share the beautiful images at my sites.&amp;nbsp; But it's
171 important to everyone because it means that museums cannot assert
172 perpetual copyright to works.&amp;nbsp; In other words, museums cannot take a
173 picture of an old painting about to become part of the public domain,
174 claim a new copyright through the reproduction, and do the same process
175 over and over so that the painting never truly enters the public
176 domain.&amp;nbsp; They would simply be taking the work from one private domain
177 to another, thus invalidating the spirit of copyright law. &lt;BR&gt;In short,
178 simply transferring an exact image from one medium to another does not
179 create a new copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
180 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;WHAT DOES THE DECISION COVER?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;This decision concerns only
181 reproductions of two-dimensional works (like paintings or drawings.)&amp;nbsp;
182 Reproductions of three-dimensional works, such as sculpture, possess the
183 necessary creativity for a separate copyright - after all, the
184 photographer must choose an angle to shoot from, lighting, backdrop,
185 etc&amp;nbsp; In other words, he is not merely reproducing an exact image.
186 &lt;/font&gt;
187&lt;/P&gt;
188 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Also, please note that a non-exact reproduction of
189 an image is not covered.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
190 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This is an important point - only EXACT COPIES of the paintings are
191 affected by the decision.&amp;nbsp; The decision is based upon the correct
192 premise that 'slavish copies' do not possess any originality or creativity
193 of their own, and are thus ineligible for copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
194 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Court explained this point further: &lt;BR&gt;''There has been no
195 independent creation, no distinguishable variation from pre-existing
196 works, nothing recognizably the author's own contribution''....&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
197 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This merely reflected an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court which
198 stated that &quot;sweat of the brow&quot; (for example, the act of reproducing a
199 work) is not the &quot;creative spark&quot; which deserves copyright.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
200 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;THE ENTIRE TEXT OF THE COURT'S RULING IS AVAILABLE ONLINE at the
201 First Amendment Law Library -&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
202 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.constitution.org%2f1ll%2fcourt%2ffed%2fbridgman.html&quot;&gt;http://www.constitution.org/1ll/court/fed/bridgman.html&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/B&gt;
203 &lt;/font&gt;
204 &lt;/P&gt;
205 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I encourage visitors to read the decision.&amp;nbsp; Judge Kaplan is
206 remarkably concise, particularly when compared to other jurists.&amp;nbsp;
207 (Note: the original decision has been replaced by Judge Kaplan's
208 memorandum opinion after Bridgeman moved for reargument and
209 reconsideration following his summary judgment.)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
210 &lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
211 &lt;blockquote&gt;
212 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
213
214 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
215
216 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is interesting to note that many museums, and the American
217 Association of Museums, were unhappy that Bridgeman brought the case
218 against Corel, surmising (correctly, it turned out) that the Court would
219 not rule in their favor.&amp;nbsp; In fact, the Court quoted a former general
220 counsel from the Museum of Modern Art, New York in rendering its decision&lt;FONT size=4&gt;.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;BR&gt;
221 Museum directors, like everyone else, knew that exact reproductions did
222 not possess the necessary creativity to have their own copyright.&amp;nbsp;
223 After all, if such a standard did exist, I could copy out John Keats's
224 poetry word-for-word and then claim I was entitled to a copyright to the
225 poems.&amp;nbsp; Such an idea is ludicrous.&amp;nbsp; Keats's poetry
226 is in the public domain.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
227 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And if his original poems are in the public domain, why aren't
228 portraits of him painted at the same time?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
229 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Exactly.&amp;nbsp; They are - museums would just prefer otherwise.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
230 &lt;P&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In closing, I would like to point out three things -
231 &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
232 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;First, the Bridgeman vs Corel decision will not bankrupt
233 museums.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; It is true that museums make money selling
234 reproductions of the images in their collections.&amp;nbsp; However,
235 commercial publishers will still want a high quality reproduction of the
236 image which can only truly be provided by the museum which controls access
237 to the painting; publishers don't care much about copyright, only the
238 best-looking image.&amp;nbsp; Webmasters, at best, can only scan reproductions
239 and even the best scanner cannot capture the quality of a museum-approved
240 reproduction.&amp;nbsp; And webmasters are not selling reproductions which
241 claim to be made by the museums which own the original work; that would be
242 fraudulent and illegal.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
243 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Second, most museums hold their collections in the public trust and
244 exist primarily as educational/cultural facilities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/B&gt;The public domain
245 images in their collections are exactly that - in the public domain, and
246 we are the public.&amp;nbsp; Most museums also receive money and special tax
247 breaks from the cities/states/countries in which they are located.&amp;nbsp;
248 Why?&amp;nbsp; Because they are public institutions.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
249 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Third - and perhaps most importantly - copyrights and public domain
250 and fair use are all terms which exist together for a reason.
251 &lt;/B&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Copyrights are necessary because&lt;/B&gt; they allow artists/writers
252 to profit from their own work.&amp;nbsp; And profit, of course, provides
253 incentive to create more work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Public Domain is necessary
254 because&lt;/B&gt; it allows for the free exchange of ideas, a necessary part of
255 life in a free society. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Fair Use is necessary because&lt;/B&gt; it allows
256 the public some access to copyrighted work, as long as they do not profit
257 from it.&amp;nbsp; After all, you should not be allowed to essentially steal
258 money for another person's hard work.&amp;nbsp; However, fair use allows news
259 reporting, book reviews, research reports, educational works, etc to
260 discuss the work. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
261 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Or, as the US Supreme Court put it:&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&quot;Creative work is to
262 be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve
263 the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and
264 the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a
265 fair return for an &quot;author's&quot; creative labor. But the ultimate aim is, by
266 this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public
267 good.&quot;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
268 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Or, as I put it:&lt;br&gt;Why should a museum's
269 copyright exceed the artist's personal copyright?&amp;nbsp; Yes, that's right
270 - artists and their descendants do not receive money from museums making
271 reproductions of their works.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because the works are in
272 the public domain.&amp;nbsp; Copyright has passed for the artist!&amp;nbsp; They
273 can no longer profit from their work.&amp;nbsp; Yet museums are claiming they
274 possess an endless copyright of the work simply because they own the
275 original (which is in the public domain.)&amp;nbsp; If it sounds absurd, well,
276 it is absurd.&amp;nbsp; It's absurd and offensive and illegal.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
277 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Take a moment to imagine Van Gogh's heirs suing
278 over all those coffee mugs with his famous sunflowers, or the endless
279 posters of his starry skies.&amp;nbsp; Exactly.&amp;nbsp; You would laugh at the
280 news.&amp;nbsp; Now take a moment to laugh at museums.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
281 &lt;blockquote&gt;
282 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
283
284 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
285
286 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In a perfect world, the artist profits from their work for a very
287 lengthy period of time and then the work becomes part of our cultural
288 heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
289
290 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In our imperfect world, however, museums often attempt to
291 intimidate webmasters and others into either paying large sums for
292 reproduction rights, or to remove the images entirely.&amp;nbsp; They count
293 upon webmasters having neither the legal knowledge to defend their rights
294 or having money to hire legal counsel.&amp;nbsp; Most museums, of course, have
295 large budgets and numerous attorneys.&amp;nbsp; And they know it's far easier
296 to intimidate the 'little guy' rather than a wealthy company which can tie
297 a case up in court for many expensive years.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
298
299 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;They also know that
300 Bridgeman vs Corel has clarified the formerly vague concept of fair
301 use.&amp;nbsp; Before, they could shape fair use to their own needs.&amp;nbsp; Now,
302 however, fair use has been quite clearly defined. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
303
304 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is important to
305 remember that museums were first created in the 18th century to allow the
306 public free access to their cultural treasures, not to make money selling
307 t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc&amp;nbsp; I understand that they wish to raise
308 funds for their work, but - as I explained earlier - Bridgeman vs Corel
309 will not bankrupt museums.&amp;nbsp; After all, in the early 1980s, the movie
310 industry believed VCRs would destroy Hollywood.&amp;nbsp; Obviously, that
311 hasn't happened.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
312
313 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In light of the Bridgeman vs Corel decision, museums
314 have decided to focus on controlling access rather than subverting the
315 concept of public domain.&amp;nbsp; This, too, has led to some rather
316 questionable practices.&amp;nbsp; Think about it for a moment - if a unique
317 work of art is in the public domain and the museum willfully disallows
318 access to the work (for reproduction purposes), aren't they guilty of
319 creating a monopoly?&amp;nbsp; And of attempting to create an illegal
320 perpetual copyright?&amp;nbsp; Just a few points to ponder, among many others.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
321 &lt;blockquote&gt;
322 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
323
324 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
325
326 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I have (very quickly) created this page to help webmasters understand
327 their rights.&amp;nbsp; I apologize if something is explained badly, or not at
328 all.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
329 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Please keep in mind that the all-important Bridgeman vs Corel
330 decision applies only to exact reproductions of two-dimensional works of
331 art already in the public domain.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;And so drawings of
332 Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, which are still under copyright, cannot be
333 reproduced on your webpage; neither can a book written in 1970, or a song
334 recorded in 1950, or painting made in 1945.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, copyright
335 extensions are a fact of life throughout most of the world.&amp;nbsp; In the
336 US, for example, copyright has been extended 11 times in the last 40
337 years.&amp;nbsp; However, all works prior to the 20th century are in the
338 public domain.&amp;nbsp; &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.unc.edu%2f%7eunclng%2fpublic-d.htm&quot;&gt;
339 Check the charts&lt;/a&gt; for 20th century works.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
340 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Remember - when in doubt, ask.&amp;nbsp; &lt;A
341 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.nolo.com&quot;&gt;Nolo.com&lt;/A&gt; has a great legal advice section.
342 &lt;/font&gt;
343 &lt;/P&gt;
344 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And give thanks to the US District Court for the
345 Southern District of New York.&amp;nbsp; In our age of increasing mergers
346 between large, global multi-media companies and the pre-eminence of a few
347 large museums, it's possible that - one day - a handful of
348 companies/museums could control access to most of the great works of art
349 in human history.&amp;nbsp; Public domain guarantees us access to those works,
350 and without it we would be....&amp;nbsp; Well, we would be stuck at the table
351 of mediocrity, denied our right to explore the best parts of our heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
352 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;-&lt;i&gt;Marilee&lt;/i&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
353 &lt;blockquote&gt;
354 &lt;hr&gt;
355 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
356 &lt;P align=center&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Updates and Links&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
357 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For now (October 2004), the Bridgeman decision
358 stands.&amp;nbsp; If anything changes, I will post it here.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
359 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please note that
360 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.iht.com%2farticles%2f114102.html&quot;&gt;recent EU-sponsored
361 copyright changes&lt;/a&gt; further extend copyright terms of 20th century works.&amp;nbsp;
362 Books, music, etc which might have been scheduled to pass into the public
363 domain are now protected for several more decades.&amp;nbsp; (Yet another
364 sell-out to the growing 'content industry'....)&amp;nbsp; If you live in
365 Europe, please research the new terms.&amp;nbsp; If the above link has
366 expired, simply type 'EU copyright law 2003' into a search engine and
367 start exploring.&amp;nbsp; Though most articles focus on digital music and
368 film, the law applies to all creative works.&amp;nbsp; It's even worse than the DMCA.&amp;nbsp;
369 Egads!&amp;nbsp; I never thought a law could be worse than the DMCA.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
370 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please
371 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.cni.org%2fHforums%2fcni-copyright%2f1999-02%2f0084.html&quot;&gt;click
372 here&lt;/a&gt; to read an interesting 'question and answer' about Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
373 Professor Ochoa's response is reasonable and apt, particularly this
374 comment: 'Where the public does not have access to the original painting,
375 the ONLY way it has to reproduce the painting itself is to reproduce a
376 reproduction of it. Unless we hold that the Bridgeman photographs can be
377 freely copied, the painting, as a practical matter, is not in the public
378 domain.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;In other words, unless museums are willing to allow
379 people to photograph the original work, the paintings are not truly in the
380 public domain.&amp;nbsp; I do disagree with his closing comment, in which he
381 attempts to distinguish between US copyright law and other nations.&amp;nbsp;
382 The concepts of 'fair use' and 'public domain' are recognized on an
383 international level.&amp;nbsp; Also, is a person making a slavish photographic
384 reproduction of a work of art truly the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of the photograph?&amp;nbsp;
385 This point was discussed in the Bridgeman decision.&amp;nbsp; The term &lt;i&gt;
386 copyist&lt;/i&gt; is far more appropriate, despite the amount of work involved
387 in taking the photograph.&amp;nbsp; An apt comparison is this (earlier
388 discussed with the example of Keats's poetry) - if a
389 photographer who merely reproduces a work of art is the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of
390 the reproduction, then someone who copies a novel out word-for-word is
391 also its &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly, this cannot be the case.&amp;nbsp; Yet
392 the amount of work required to photograph the painting is the same as the
393 work involved in copying out a book by hand.&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;In other words, &lt;i&gt;
394 labor&lt;/i&gt; does not imply originality, or a creative spark.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; You
395 can take three minutes or three days to make a reproduction.&amp;nbsp; You can
396 use a camera or Martian technology.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter.&amp;nbsp; You are
397 merely copying the work.&amp;nbsp; If it
398 seems as though I'm being simplistic here, rest assured that I am - and it
399 is deliberate.&amp;nbsp; This issue is very simple and analogies help reveal
400 the simplicity.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
401 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In any case, Bridgeman vs Corel
402 was not concerned with the &lt;i&gt;processes&lt;/i&gt; of reproduction
403 since those are covered by patent law.&amp;nbsp; It was concerned with
404 copyright.&amp;nbsp; Copyright exists to reward the creative spark /
405 originality.&amp;nbsp; It does not exist to reward labor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
406 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You may wonder why I'm going on
407 and on about the photography angle.&amp;nbsp; It's because museums have made
408 it their new argument for copyright protection and against Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
409 They claim the court did not fully understand or appreciate the labor
410 involved in making photographic reproductions.&amp;nbsp; But they are being
411 disingenuous, as my above paragraph demonstrates.&amp;nbsp; Also, Judge Kaplan
412 most assuredly considered the labor involved.&amp;nbsp; No one is denying that
413 photographers labor to create the reproduction.&amp;nbsp; But why should that
414 work be used to create a perpetual copyright for something in the public
415 domain?!&amp;nbsp; Museums are mute on that point.&amp;nbsp; The photographers are
416 paid for their labor.&amp;nbsp; The museums deny the public access to the
417 works and therefore control the 'licensing' of the best reproductions.&amp;nbsp;
418 They are paid for the licenses.&amp;nbsp; Who suffers in this situation?&amp;nbsp;
419 The public!&amp;nbsp; By law, we should be able to go to a museum and demand
420 access to a painting in the public domain so we can take photographs.&amp;nbsp;
421 But museums won't let us!&amp;nbsp; I know this because I've tried it.&amp;nbsp;
422 Museums simply don't want competition for their 'officially-licensed'
423 merchandise.&amp;nbsp; It's all about profit, - if they were concerned with
424 'artistic integrity', they would allow the public right of access or
425 provide an approved, high-quality reproduction to anyone who asked.&amp;nbsp;
426 Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen....&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
427 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;If the concept of public domain
428 is to have any meaning at all, then exact photographic reproductions
429 cannot be given copyright.&amp;nbsp; It's a matter of principle - and common
430 sense - and public interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
431 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
432 &lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
433 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fhomepages.law.asu.edu%2f%7edkarjala%2fOpposingCopyrightExtension&quot;&gt;Opposing Copyright Extension,
434 Protecting the Public Domain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;The best source
435 on the internet.&amp;nbsp; It contains information on the disastrous Jan 2003 Eldred
436 ruling by the US Supreme Court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
437 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2f&quot;&gt;
438 &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot; face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;to EnglishHistory.net&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
439 &lt;/td&gt;
440 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
441 &lt;/tr&gt;
442&lt;/table&gt;
443
444
445
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448</Content>
449</Section>
450</Archive>
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