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14 <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
15 <Metadata name="Page_topic">museum art reproductions right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
16 <Metadata name="Content">right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
17 <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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24 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Others</Metadata>
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35
36&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
37 &lt;tr&gt;
38 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
39 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
40 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
41 &lt;/tr&gt;
42 &lt;tr&gt;
43 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
44 &lt;td width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
45 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;/tr&gt;
47 &lt;tr&gt;
48 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
49 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
50 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
51 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightba.gif&quot; width=&quot;422&quot; height=&quot;162&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
52 &lt;blockquote&gt;
53 &lt;hr&gt;
54 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I created this page in 1999 as a common sense
55 &lt;I&gt;introduction&lt;/I&gt; to copyright terms.&amp;nbsp; It also discusses the Bridgeman vs
56 Corel decision and public domain issues.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
57 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;The issue of copyright was most
58 eloquently discussed - and the concept of public domain most eloquently
59 defended - by the historian Thomas Macaulay in 1841.&amp;nbsp; Please
60 &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;
61 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#FF0000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;updated 1
62 October 2004:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had to share this news with public domain
63 advocates.&amp;nbsp; I was reading through some of the Congressional speeches
64 regarding copyright and came across this gem - Congresswoman Mary Bono
65 (whose late husband pushed through one of the most disastrous copyright
66 laws ever) was reminded that the US Constitution prohibits perpetual
67 intellectual property rights.&amp;nbsp; Her response?&amp;nbsp; The copyright term
68 should be &amp;quot;forever minus one day&amp;quot;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
69 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I'm serious.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
70 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;If that doesn't offend and alarm you,
71 what will?&amp;nbsp; If she had her way, you wouldn't be able to read The
72 Bible for free.&amp;nbsp; Please consider this issue when you vote.&amp;nbsp; This
73 is one of the great unreported stories in the US, Europe and now, sadly,
74 Australia.&amp;nbsp; Yes, the Aussies signed (August 2004) a free-trade
75 agreement with the US which required that Australia accept our draconian
76 copyright laws.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
77 &lt;hr&gt;
78 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
79 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Definition of terms used on this
80 page -&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
81
82 &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,
83 or a distributor to exclusive production, sale, or distribution of their
84 work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does COPYRIGHT exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It allows artists to profit
85 from their work.&amp;nbsp; Profit, in turn, creates an incentive to work and
86 distribute the work.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
87
88 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
89
90 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;PUBLIC DOMAIN&lt;/B&gt; - the status of publications, products, and
91 processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.&amp;nbsp; All
92 images at this site are in the public domain, and have been for several
93 hundred years. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does PUBLIC DOMAIN exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It exists to
94 allow the free exchange of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; If it did not, museums would
95 be allowed to keep images under perpetual copyright, thus denying everyone
96 the opportunity to view, critique, or otherwise examine works. &lt;BR&gt;Please
97 note that most 20th century works of art are not yet considered part of
98 the PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;Click
99 &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
100 when works pass into the public domain.&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
101
102 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
103
104 &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
105 the copyright owner; in other words, it allows reasonable public access to
106 copyrighted works. &lt;BR&gt;The idea is an important part of the English
107 common-law tradition. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does FAIR USE exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;FAIR USE
108 allows people to use images and written works without compensating the
109 original writer/creator, as long as they act in good faith and do not
110 profit from reproducing the work.&amp;nbsp; Education, parody, criticism, news
111 reporting, etc are all examples of fair use. &lt;BR&gt;The idea of FAIR USE has
112 guided the use of reproductions of works for years.&amp;nbsp; In most cases,
113 the lack of commercial gain is necessary for a claim of fair use.&amp;nbsp; If
114 you are a non-profit website designed for educational purposes, you are in
115 the perfect position to claim FAIR USE of images which are already in the
116 PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
117 &lt;blockquote&gt;
118 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
119
120 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
121
122 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;
123 &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;
124
125 &lt;P&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Yes, we live in a world where the Scrots portrait
126 of the future Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be under copyright - but
127 Elizabeth's own letters / speeches / poetry have been in the public domain
128 for centuries....&amp;nbsp; Funny.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
129
130 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For a long time, the FAIR USE doctrine occupied a grey area of law,
131 usually decided on a case-by-case basis.&amp;nbsp; Typically, if someone were
132 profiting from another person's work which was not in the PUBLIC DOMAIN,
133 it was not considered fair use.&amp;nbsp; Museums typically did not sue
134 non-profit websites which reproduced images for educational
135 purposes.&amp;nbsp; If they had, the court would have forced them to prove a
136 substantial loss of profit from the use.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, such proof
137 would not exist and the court would not look favorably upon such a
138 vindictive case, particularly since the images were already in the public
139 domain. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
140 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;However, on 18th February 1999, the grey area was cleared
141 considerably.&amp;nbsp; Fair Use was no longer a murky legal issue to be
142 debated by webmasters and museums.&amp;nbsp; The United States District Court
143 for the Southern District of New York decided the following case -
144 &lt;/font&gt;
145&lt;/P&gt;
146 &lt;CENTER&gt;
147 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel
148 Corporation, et ano., Defendants.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;97 Civ. 6232
149 (LAK)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/CENTER&gt;
150 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Their decision was one of the most important copyright decision
151 affecting museums ever filed.&amp;nbsp; The decision was based on both US and
152 UK copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
153 &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
154 Bridgeman Art Library had made photographic reproductions of famous works
155 of art from museums around the world (works already in the public
156 domain.)&amp;nbsp; The Corel Corporation used those reproductions for an
157 educational CD-ROM without paying Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp; Bridgeman claimed
158 copyright infringement. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
159 &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
160 reproductions of images in the public domain are not protected by
161 copyright if the reproductions are slavish or lacking in originality.
162 &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
163 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In their opinion, the Court noted:&amp;nbsp; ''There is little doubt that many
164 photographs, probably the overwhelming majority, reflect at least the
165 modest amount of originality required for copyright protection....&amp;nbsp;
166 But 'slavish copying', although doubtless requiring technical skill and
167 effort, does not qualify.'' &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
168 &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
169 domain does not possess creativity itself.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, the
170 reproduction is not protected under copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
171 &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
172 allows me to share the beautiful images at my sites.&amp;nbsp; But it's
173 important to everyone because it means that museums cannot assert
174 perpetual copyright to works.&amp;nbsp; In other words, museums cannot take a
175 picture of an old painting about to become part of the public domain,
176 claim a new copyright through the reproduction, and do the same process
177 over and over so that the painting never truly enters the public
178 domain.&amp;nbsp; They would simply be taking the work from one private domain
179 to another, thus invalidating the spirit of copyright law. &lt;BR&gt;In short,
180 simply transferring an exact image from one medium to another does not
181 create a new copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
182 &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
183 reproductions of two-dimensional works (like paintings or drawings.)&amp;nbsp;
184 Reproductions of three-dimensional works, such as sculpture, possess the
185 necessary creativity for a separate copyright - after all, the
186 photographer must choose an angle to shoot from, lighting, backdrop,
187 etc&amp;nbsp; In other words, he is not merely reproducing an exact image.
188 &lt;/font&gt;
189&lt;/P&gt;
190 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Also, please note that a non-exact reproduction of
191 an image is not covered.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
192 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This is an important point - only EXACT COPIES of the paintings are
193 affected by the decision.&amp;nbsp; The decision is based upon the correct
194 premise that 'slavish copies' do not possess any originality or creativity
195 of their own, and are thus ineligible for copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
196 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Court explained this point further: &lt;BR&gt;''There has been no
197 independent creation, no distinguishable variation from pre-existing
198 works, nothing recognizably the author's own contribution''....&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
199 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This merely reflected an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court which
200 stated that &quot;sweat of the brow&quot; (for example, the act of reproducing a
201 work) is not the &quot;creative spark&quot; which deserves copyright.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
202 &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
203 First Amendment Law Library -&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
204 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;
205 &lt;/font&gt;
206 &lt;/P&gt;
207 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I encourage visitors to read the decision.&amp;nbsp; Judge Kaplan is
208 remarkably concise, particularly when compared to other jurists.&amp;nbsp;
209 (Note: the original decision has been replaced by Judge Kaplan's
210 memorandum opinion after Bridgeman moved for reargument and
211 reconsideration following his summary judgment.)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
212 &lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
213 &lt;blockquote&gt;
214 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
215
216 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
217
218 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is interesting to note that many museums, and the American
219 Association of Museums, were unhappy that Bridgeman brought the case
220 against Corel, surmising (correctly, it turned out) that the Court would
221 not rule in their favor.&amp;nbsp; In fact, the Court quoted a former general
222 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;
223 Museum directors, like everyone else, knew that exact reproductions did
224 not possess the necessary creativity to have their own copyright.&amp;nbsp;
225 After all, if such a standard did exist, I could copy out John Keats's
226 poetry word-for-word and then claim I was entitled to a copyright to the
227 poems.&amp;nbsp; Such an idea is ludicrous.&amp;nbsp; Keats's poetry
228 is in the public domain.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
229 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And if his original poems are in the public domain, why aren't
230 portraits of him painted at the same time?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
231 &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;
232 &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 -
233 &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
234 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;First, the Bridgeman vs Corel decision will not bankrupt
235 museums.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; It is true that museums make money selling
236 reproductions of the images in their collections.&amp;nbsp; However,
237 commercial publishers will still want a high quality reproduction of the
238 image which can only truly be provided by the museum which controls access
239 to the painting; publishers don't care much about copyright, only the
240 best-looking image.&amp;nbsp; Webmasters, at best, can only scan reproductions
241 and even the best scanner cannot capture the quality of a museum-approved
242 reproduction.&amp;nbsp; And webmasters are not selling reproductions which
243 claim to be made by the museums which own the original work; that would be
244 fraudulent and illegal.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
245 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Second, most museums hold their collections in the public trust and
246 exist primarily as educational/cultural facilities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/B&gt;The public domain
247 images in their collections are exactly that - in the public domain, and
248 we are the public.&amp;nbsp; Most museums also receive money and special tax
249 breaks from the cities/states/countries in which they are located.&amp;nbsp;
250 Why?&amp;nbsp; Because they are public institutions.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
251 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Third - and perhaps most importantly - copyrights and public domain
252 and fair use are all terms which exist together for a reason.
253 &lt;/B&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Copyrights are necessary because&lt;/B&gt; they allow artists/writers
254 to profit from their own work.&amp;nbsp; And profit, of course, provides
255 incentive to create more work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Public Domain is necessary
256 because&lt;/B&gt; it allows for the free exchange of ideas, a necessary part of
257 life in a free society. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Fair Use is necessary because&lt;/B&gt; it allows
258 the public some access to copyrighted work, as long as they do not profit
259 from it.&amp;nbsp; After all, you should not be allowed to essentially steal
260 money for another person's hard work.&amp;nbsp; However, fair use allows news
261 reporting, book reviews, research reports, educational works, etc to
262 discuss the work. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
263 &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
264 be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve
265 the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and
266 the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a
267 fair return for an &quot;author's&quot; creative labor. But the ultimate aim is, by
268 this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public
269 good.&quot;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
270 &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
271 copyright exceed the artist's personal copyright?&amp;nbsp; Yes, that's right
272 - artists and their descendants do not receive money from museums making
273 reproductions of their works.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because the works are in
274 the public domain.&amp;nbsp; Copyright has passed for the artist!&amp;nbsp; They
275 can no longer profit from their work.&amp;nbsp; Yet museums are claiming they
276 possess an endless copyright of the work simply because they own the
277 original (which is in the public domain.)&amp;nbsp; If it sounds absurd, well,
278 it is absurd.&amp;nbsp; It's absurd and offensive and illegal.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
279 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Take a moment to imagine Van Gogh's heirs suing
280 over all those coffee mugs with his famous sunflowers, or the endless
281 posters of his starry skies.&amp;nbsp; Exactly.&amp;nbsp; You would laugh at the
282 news.&amp;nbsp; Now take a moment to laugh at museums.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
283 &lt;blockquote&gt;
284 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
285
286 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
287
288 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In a perfect world, the artist profits from their work for a very
289 lengthy period of time and then the work becomes part of our cultural
290 heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
291
292 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In our imperfect world, however, museums often attempt to
293 intimidate webmasters and others into either paying large sums for
294 reproduction rights, or to remove the images entirely.&amp;nbsp; They count
295 upon webmasters having neither the legal knowledge to defend their rights
296 or having money to hire legal counsel.&amp;nbsp; Most museums, of course, have
297 large budgets and numerous attorneys.&amp;nbsp; And they know it's far easier
298 to intimidate the 'little guy' rather than a wealthy company which can tie
299 a case up in court for many expensive years.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
300
301 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;They also know that
302 Bridgeman vs Corel has clarified the formerly vague concept of fair
303 use.&amp;nbsp; Before, they could shape fair use to their own needs.&amp;nbsp; Now,
304 however, fair use has been quite clearly defined. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
305
306 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is important to
307 remember that museums were first created in the 18th century to allow the
308 public free access to their cultural treasures, not to make money selling
309 t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc&amp;nbsp; I understand that they wish to raise
310 funds for their work, but - as I explained earlier - Bridgeman vs Corel
311 will not bankrupt museums.&amp;nbsp; After all, in the early 1980s, the movie
312 industry believed VCRs would destroy Hollywood.&amp;nbsp; Obviously, that
313 hasn't happened.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
314
315 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In light of the Bridgeman vs Corel decision, museums
316 have decided to focus on controlling access rather than subverting the
317 concept of public domain.&amp;nbsp; This, too, has led to some rather
318 questionable practices.&amp;nbsp; Think about it for a moment - if a unique
319 work of art is in the public domain and the museum willfully disallows
320 access to the work (for reproduction purposes), aren't they guilty of
321 creating a monopoly?&amp;nbsp; And of attempting to create an illegal
322 perpetual copyright?&amp;nbsp; Just a few points to ponder, among many others.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
323 &lt;blockquote&gt;
324 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
325
326 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
327
328 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I have (very quickly) created this page to help webmasters understand
329 their rights.&amp;nbsp; I apologize if something is explained badly, or not at
330 all.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
331 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Please keep in mind that the all-important Bridgeman vs Corel
332 decision applies only to exact reproductions of two-dimensional works of
333 art already in the public domain.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;And so drawings of
334 Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, which are still under copyright, cannot be
335 reproduced on your webpage; neither can a book written in 1970, or a song
336 recorded in 1950, or painting made in 1945.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, copyright
337 extensions are a fact of life throughout most of the world.&amp;nbsp; In the
338 US, for example, copyright has been extended 11 times in the last 40
339 years.&amp;nbsp; However, all works prior to the 20th century are in the
340 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;
341 Check the charts&lt;/a&gt; for 20th century works.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
342 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Remember - when in doubt, ask.&amp;nbsp; &lt;A
343 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.
344 &lt;/font&gt;
345 &lt;/P&gt;
346 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And give thanks to the US District Court for the
347 Southern District of New York.&amp;nbsp; In our age of increasing mergers
348 between large, global multi-media companies and the pre-eminence of a few
349 large museums, it's possible that - one day - a handful of
350 companies/museums could control access to most of the great works of art
351 in human history.&amp;nbsp; Public domain guarantees us access to those works,
352 and without it we would be....&amp;nbsp; Well, we would be stuck at the table
353 of mediocrity, denied our right to explore the best parts of our heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
354 &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;
355 &lt;blockquote&gt;
356 &lt;hr&gt;
357 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
358 &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;
359 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For now (October 2004), the Bridgeman decision
360 stands.&amp;nbsp; If anything changes, I will post it here.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
361 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please note that
362 &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
363 copyright changes&lt;/a&gt; further extend copyright terms of 20th century works.&amp;nbsp;
364 Books, music, etc which might have been scheduled to pass into the public
365 domain are now protected for several more decades.&amp;nbsp; (Yet another
366 sell-out to the growing 'content industry'....)&amp;nbsp; If you live in
367 Europe, please research the new terms.&amp;nbsp; If the above link has
368 expired, simply type 'EU copyright law 2003' into a search engine and
369 start exploring.&amp;nbsp; Though most articles focus on digital music and
370 film, the law applies to all creative works.&amp;nbsp; It's even worse than the DMCA.&amp;nbsp;
371 Egads!&amp;nbsp; I never thought a law could be worse than the DMCA.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
372 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please
373 &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
374 here&lt;/a&gt; to read an interesting 'question and answer' about Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
375 Professor Ochoa's response is reasonable and apt, particularly this
376 comment: 'Where the public does not have access to the original painting,
377 the ONLY way it has to reproduce the painting itself is to reproduce a
378 reproduction of it. Unless we hold that the Bridgeman photographs can be
379 freely copied, the painting, as a practical matter, is not in the public
380 domain.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;In other words, unless museums are willing to allow
381 people to photograph the original work, the paintings are not truly in the
382 public domain.&amp;nbsp; I do disagree with his closing comment, in which he
383 attempts to distinguish between US copyright law and other nations.&amp;nbsp;
384 The concepts of 'fair use' and 'public domain' are recognized on an
385 international level.&amp;nbsp; Also, is a person making a slavish photographic
386 reproduction of a work of art truly the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of the photograph?&amp;nbsp;
387 This point was discussed in the Bridgeman decision.&amp;nbsp; The term &lt;i&gt;
388 copyist&lt;/i&gt; is far more appropriate, despite the amount of work involved
389 in taking the photograph.&amp;nbsp; An apt comparison is this (earlier
390 discussed with the example of Keats's poetry) - if a
391 photographer who merely reproduces a work of art is the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of
392 the reproduction, then someone who copies a novel out word-for-word is
393 also its &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly, this cannot be the case.&amp;nbsp; Yet
394 the amount of work required to photograph the painting is the same as the
395 work involved in copying out a book by hand.&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;In other words, &lt;i&gt;
396 labor&lt;/i&gt; does not imply originality, or a creative spark.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; You
397 can take three minutes or three days to make a reproduction.&amp;nbsp; You can
398 use a camera or Martian technology.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter.&amp;nbsp; You are
399 merely copying the work.&amp;nbsp; If it
400 seems as though I'm being simplistic here, rest assured that I am - and it
401 is deliberate.&amp;nbsp; This issue is very simple and analogies help reveal
402 the simplicity.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
403 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In any case, Bridgeman vs Corel
404 was not concerned with the &lt;i&gt;processes&lt;/i&gt; of reproduction
405 since those are covered by patent law.&amp;nbsp; It was concerned with
406 copyright.&amp;nbsp; Copyright exists to reward the creative spark /
407 originality.&amp;nbsp; It does not exist to reward labor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
408 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You may wonder why I'm going on
409 and on about the photography angle.&amp;nbsp; It's because museums have made
410 it their new argument for copyright protection and against Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
411 They claim the court did not fully understand or appreciate the labor
412 involved in making photographic reproductions.&amp;nbsp; But they are being
413 disingenuous, as my above paragraph demonstrates.&amp;nbsp; Also, Judge Kaplan
414 most assuredly considered the labor involved.&amp;nbsp; No one is denying that
415 photographers labor to create the reproduction.&amp;nbsp; But why should that
416 work be used to create a perpetual copyright for something in the public
417 domain?!&amp;nbsp; Museums are mute on that point.&amp;nbsp; The photographers are
418 paid for their labor.&amp;nbsp; The museums deny the public access to the
419 works and therefore control the 'licensing' of the best reproductions.&amp;nbsp;
420 They are paid for the licenses.&amp;nbsp; Who suffers in this situation?&amp;nbsp;
421 The public!&amp;nbsp; By law, we should be able to go to a museum and demand
422 access to a painting in the public domain so we can take photographs.&amp;nbsp;
423 But museums won't let us!&amp;nbsp; I know this because I've tried it.&amp;nbsp;
424 Museums simply don't want competition for their 'officially-licensed'
425 merchandise.&amp;nbsp; It's all about profit, - if they were concerned with
426 'artistic integrity', they would allow the public right of access or
427 provide an approved, high-quality reproduction to anyone who asked.&amp;nbsp;
428 Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen....&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
429 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;If the concept of public domain
430 is to have any meaning at all, then exact photographic reproductions
431 cannot be given copyright.&amp;nbsp; It's a matter of principle - and common
432 sense - and public interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
433 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
434 &lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
435 &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,
436 Protecting the Public Domain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;The best source
437 on the internet.&amp;nbsp; It contains information on the disastrous Jan 2003 Eldred
438 ruling by the US Supreme Court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
439 &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;
440 &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot; face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;to EnglishHistory.net&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
441 &lt;/td&gt;
442 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
443 &lt;/tr&gt;
444&lt;/table&gt;
445
446
447
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450</Content>
451</Section>
452</Archive>
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