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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>
20 <Metadata name="FileFormat">HTML</Metadata>
21 <Metadata name="URL">http://englishhistory.net/tudor/art.html</Metadata>
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26 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Others</Metadata>
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37
38&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
39 &lt;tr&gt;
40 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
41 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
42 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
43 &lt;/tr&gt;
44 &lt;tr&gt;
45 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;td width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
47 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
48 &lt;/tr&gt;
49 &lt;tr&gt;
50 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
51 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
52 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
53 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightba.gif&quot; width=&quot;422&quot; height=&quot;162&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
54 &lt;blockquote&gt;
55 &lt;hr&gt;
56 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I created this page in 1999 as a common sense
57 &lt;I&gt;introduction&lt;/I&gt; to copyright terms.&amp;nbsp; It also discusses the Bridgeman vs
58 Corel decision and public domain issues.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
59 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;The issue of copyright was most
60 eloquently discussed - and the concept of public domain most eloquently
61 defended - by the historian Thomas Macaulay in 1841.&amp;nbsp; Please
62 &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;
63 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#FF0000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;updated 1
64 October 2004:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had to share this news with public domain
65 advocates.&amp;nbsp; I was reading through some of the Congressional speeches
66 regarding copyright and came across this gem - Congresswoman Mary Bono
67 (whose late husband pushed through one of the most disastrous copyright
68 laws ever) was reminded that the US Constitution prohibits perpetual
69 intellectual property rights.&amp;nbsp; Her response?&amp;nbsp; The copyright term
70 should be &amp;quot;forever minus one day&amp;quot;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
71 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I'm serious.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
72 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;If that doesn't offend and alarm you,
73 what will?&amp;nbsp; If she had her way, you wouldn't be able to read The
74 Bible for free.&amp;nbsp; Please consider this issue when you vote.&amp;nbsp; This
75 is one of the great unreported stories in the US, Europe and now, sadly,
76 Australia.&amp;nbsp; Yes, the Aussies signed (August 2004) a free-trade
77 agreement with the US which required that Australia accept our draconian
78 copyright laws.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
79 &lt;hr&gt;
80 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
81 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Definition of terms used on this
82 page -&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
83
84 &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,
85 or a distributor to exclusive production, sale, or distribution of their
86 work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does COPYRIGHT exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It allows artists to profit
87 from their work.&amp;nbsp; Profit, in turn, creates an incentive to work and
88 distribute the work.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
89
90 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
91
92 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;PUBLIC DOMAIN&lt;/B&gt; - the status of publications, products, and
93 processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.&amp;nbsp; All
94 images at this site are in the public domain, and have been for several
95 hundred years. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does PUBLIC DOMAIN exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It exists to
96 allow the free exchange of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; If it did not, museums would
97 be allowed to keep images under perpetual copyright, thus denying everyone
98 the opportunity to view, critique, or otherwise examine works. &lt;BR&gt;Please
99 note that most 20th century works of art are not yet considered part of
100 the PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;Click
101 &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
102 when works pass into the public domain.&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
103
104 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
105
106 &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
107 the copyright owner; in other words, it allows reasonable public access to
108 copyrighted works. &lt;BR&gt;The idea is an important part of the English
109 common-law tradition. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does FAIR USE exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;FAIR USE
110 allows people to use images and written works without compensating the
111 original writer/creator, as long as they act in good faith and do not
112 profit from reproducing the work.&amp;nbsp; Education, parody, criticism, news
113 reporting, etc are all examples of fair use. &lt;BR&gt;The idea of FAIR USE has
114 guided the use of reproductions of works for years.&amp;nbsp; In most cases,
115 the lack of commercial gain is necessary for a claim of fair use.&amp;nbsp; If
116 you are a non-profit website designed for educational purposes, you are in
117 the perfect position to claim FAIR USE of images which are already in the
118 PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
119 &lt;blockquote&gt;
120 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
121
122 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
123
124 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;
125 &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;
126
127 &lt;P&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Yes, we live in a world where the Scrots portrait
128 of the future Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be under copyright - but
129 Elizabeth's own letters / speeches / poetry have been in the public domain
130 for centuries....&amp;nbsp; Funny.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
131
132 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For a long time, the FAIR USE doctrine occupied a grey area of law,
133 usually decided on a case-by-case basis.&amp;nbsp; Typically, if someone were
134 profiting from another person's work which was not in the PUBLIC DOMAIN,
135 it was not considered fair use.&amp;nbsp; Museums typically did not sue
136 non-profit websites which reproduced images for educational
137 purposes.&amp;nbsp; If they had, the court would have forced them to prove a
138 substantial loss of profit from the use.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, such proof
139 would not exist and the court would not look favorably upon such a
140 vindictive case, particularly since the images were already in the public
141 domain. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
142 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;However, on 18th February 1999, the grey area was cleared
143 considerably.&amp;nbsp; Fair Use was no longer a murky legal issue to be
144 debated by webmasters and museums.&amp;nbsp; The United States District Court
145 for the Southern District of New York decided the following case -
146 &lt;/font&gt;
147&lt;/P&gt;
148 &lt;CENTER&gt;
149 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel
150 Corporation, et ano., Defendants.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;97 Civ. 6232
151 (LAK)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/CENTER&gt;
152 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Their decision was one of the most important copyright decision
153 affecting museums ever filed.&amp;nbsp; The decision was based on both US and
154 UK copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
155 &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
156 Bridgeman Art Library had made photographic reproductions of famous works
157 of art from museums around the world (works already in the public
158 domain.)&amp;nbsp; The Corel Corporation used those reproductions for an
159 educational CD-ROM without paying Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp; Bridgeman claimed
160 copyright infringement. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
161 &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
162 reproductions of images in the public domain are not protected by
163 copyright if the reproductions are slavish or lacking in originality.
164 &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
165 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In their opinion, the Court noted:&amp;nbsp; ''There is little doubt that many
166 photographs, probably the overwhelming majority, reflect at least the
167 modest amount of originality required for copyright protection....&amp;nbsp;
168 But 'slavish copying', although doubtless requiring technical skill and
169 effort, does not qualify.'' &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
170 &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
171 domain does not possess creativity itself.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, the
172 reproduction is not protected under copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
173 &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
174 allows me to share the beautiful images at my sites.&amp;nbsp; But it's
175 important to everyone because it means that museums cannot assert
176 perpetual copyright to works.&amp;nbsp; In other words, museums cannot take a
177 picture of an old painting about to become part of the public domain,
178 claim a new copyright through the reproduction, and do the same process
179 over and over so that the painting never truly enters the public
180 domain.&amp;nbsp; They would simply be taking the work from one private domain
181 to another, thus invalidating the spirit of copyright law. &lt;BR&gt;In short,
182 simply transferring an exact image from one medium to another does not
183 create a new copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
184 &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
185 reproductions of two-dimensional works (like paintings or drawings.)&amp;nbsp;
186 Reproductions of three-dimensional works, such as sculpture, possess the
187 necessary creativity for a separate copyright - after all, the
188 photographer must choose an angle to shoot from, lighting, backdrop,
189 etc&amp;nbsp; In other words, he is not merely reproducing an exact image.
190 &lt;/font&gt;
191&lt;/P&gt;
192 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Also, please note that a non-exact reproduction of
193 an image is not covered.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
194 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This is an important point - only EXACT COPIES of the paintings are
195 affected by the decision.&amp;nbsp; The decision is based upon the correct
196 premise that 'slavish copies' do not possess any originality or creativity
197 of their own, and are thus ineligible for copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
198 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Court explained this point further: &lt;BR&gt;''There has been no
199 independent creation, no distinguishable variation from pre-existing
200 works, nothing recognizably the author's own contribution''....&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
201 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This merely reflected an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court which
202 stated that &quot;sweat of the brow&quot; (for example, the act of reproducing a
203 work) is not the &quot;creative spark&quot; which deserves copyright.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
204 &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
205 First Amendment Law Library -&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
206 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;
207 &lt;/font&gt;
208 &lt;/P&gt;
209 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I encourage visitors to read the decision.&amp;nbsp; Judge Kaplan is
210 remarkably concise, particularly when compared to other jurists.&amp;nbsp;
211 (Note: the original decision has been replaced by Judge Kaplan's
212 memorandum opinion after Bridgeman moved for reargument and
213 reconsideration following his summary judgment.)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
214 &lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
215 &lt;blockquote&gt;
216 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
217
218 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
219
220 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is interesting to note that many museums, and the American
221 Association of Museums, were unhappy that Bridgeman brought the case
222 against Corel, surmising (correctly, it turned out) that the Court would
223 not rule in their favor.&amp;nbsp; In fact, the Court quoted a former general
224 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;
225 Museum directors, like everyone else, knew that exact reproductions did
226 not possess the necessary creativity to have their own copyright.&amp;nbsp;
227 After all, if such a standard did exist, I could copy out John Keats's
228 poetry word-for-word and then claim I was entitled to a copyright to the
229 poems.&amp;nbsp; Such an idea is ludicrous.&amp;nbsp; Keats's poetry
230 is in the public domain.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
231 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And if his original poems are in the public domain, why aren't
232 portraits of him painted at the same time?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
233 &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;
234 &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 -
235 &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
236 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;First, the Bridgeman vs Corel decision will not bankrupt
237 museums.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; It is true that museums make money selling
238 reproductions of the images in their collections.&amp;nbsp; However,
239 commercial publishers will still want a high quality reproduction of the
240 image which can only truly be provided by the museum which controls access
241 to the painting; publishers don't care much about copyright, only the
242 best-looking image.&amp;nbsp; Webmasters, at best, can only scan reproductions
243 and even the best scanner cannot capture the quality of a museum-approved
244 reproduction.&amp;nbsp; And webmasters are not selling reproductions which
245 claim to be made by the museums which own the original work; that would be
246 fraudulent and illegal.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
247 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Second, most museums hold their collections in the public trust and
248 exist primarily as educational/cultural facilities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/B&gt;The public domain
249 images in their collections are exactly that - in the public domain, and
250 we are the public.&amp;nbsp; Most museums also receive money and special tax
251 breaks from the cities/states/countries in which they are located.&amp;nbsp;
252 Why?&amp;nbsp; Because they are public institutions.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
253 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Third - and perhaps most importantly - copyrights and public domain
254 and fair use are all terms which exist together for a reason.
255 &lt;/B&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Copyrights are necessary because&lt;/B&gt; they allow artists/writers
256 to profit from their own work.&amp;nbsp; And profit, of course, provides
257 incentive to create more work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Public Domain is necessary
258 because&lt;/B&gt; it allows for the free exchange of ideas, a necessary part of
259 life in a free society. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Fair Use is necessary because&lt;/B&gt; it allows
260 the public some access to copyrighted work, as long as they do not profit
261 from it.&amp;nbsp; After all, you should not be allowed to essentially steal
262 money for another person's hard work.&amp;nbsp; However, fair use allows news
263 reporting, book reviews, research reports, educational works, etc to
264 discuss the work. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
265 &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
266 be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve
267 the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and
268 the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a
269 fair return for an &quot;author's&quot; creative labor. But the ultimate aim is, by
270 this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public
271 good.&quot;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
272 &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
273 copyright exceed the artist's personal copyright?&amp;nbsp; Yes, that's right
274 - artists and their descendants do not receive money from museums making
275 reproductions of their works.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because the works are in
276 the public domain.&amp;nbsp; Copyright has passed for the artist!&amp;nbsp; They
277 can no longer profit from their work.&amp;nbsp; Yet museums are claiming they
278 possess an endless copyright of the work simply because they own the
279 original (which is in the public domain.)&amp;nbsp; If it sounds absurd, well,
280 it is absurd.&amp;nbsp; It's absurd and offensive and illegal.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
281 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Take a moment to imagine Van Gogh's heirs suing
282 over all those coffee mugs with his famous sunflowers, or the endless
283 posters of his starry skies.&amp;nbsp; Exactly.&amp;nbsp; You would laugh at the
284 news.&amp;nbsp; Now take a moment to laugh at museums.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
285 &lt;blockquote&gt;
286 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
287
288 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
289
290 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In a perfect world, the artist profits from their work for a very
291 lengthy period of time and then the work becomes part of our cultural
292 heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
293
294 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In our imperfect world, however, museums often attempt to
295 intimidate webmasters and others into either paying large sums for
296 reproduction rights, or to remove the images entirely.&amp;nbsp; They count
297 upon webmasters having neither the legal knowledge to defend their rights
298 or having money to hire legal counsel.&amp;nbsp; Most museums, of course, have
299 large budgets and numerous attorneys.&amp;nbsp; And they know it's far easier
300 to intimidate the 'little guy' rather than a wealthy company which can tie
301 a case up in court for many expensive years.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
302
303 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;They also know that
304 Bridgeman vs Corel has clarified the formerly vague concept of fair
305 use.&amp;nbsp; Before, they could shape fair use to their own needs.&amp;nbsp; Now,
306 however, fair use has been quite clearly defined. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
307
308 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is important to
309 remember that museums were first created in the 18th century to allow the
310 public free access to their cultural treasures, not to make money selling
311 t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc&amp;nbsp; I understand that they wish to raise
312 funds for their work, but - as I explained earlier - Bridgeman vs Corel
313 will not bankrupt museums.&amp;nbsp; After all, in the early 1980s, the movie
314 industry believed VCRs would destroy Hollywood.&amp;nbsp; Obviously, that
315 hasn't happened.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
316
317 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In light of the Bridgeman vs Corel decision, museums
318 have decided to focus on controlling access rather than subverting the
319 concept of public domain.&amp;nbsp; This, too, has led to some rather
320 questionable practices.&amp;nbsp; Think about it for a moment - if a unique
321 work of art is in the public domain and the museum willfully disallows
322 access to the work (for reproduction purposes), aren't they guilty of
323 creating a monopoly?&amp;nbsp; And of attempting to create an illegal
324 perpetual copyright?&amp;nbsp; Just a few points to ponder, among many others.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
325 &lt;blockquote&gt;
326 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
327
328 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
329
330 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I have (very quickly) created this page to help webmasters understand
331 their rights.&amp;nbsp; I apologize if something is explained badly, or not at
332 all.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
333 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Please keep in mind that the all-important Bridgeman vs Corel
334 decision applies only to exact reproductions of two-dimensional works of
335 art already in the public domain.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;And so drawings of
336 Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, which are still under copyright, cannot be
337 reproduced on your webpage; neither can a book written in 1970, or a song
338 recorded in 1950, or painting made in 1945.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, copyright
339 extensions are a fact of life throughout most of the world.&amp;nbsp; In the
340 US, for example, copyright has been extended 11 times in the last 40
341 years.&amp;nbsp; However, all works prior to the 20th century are in the
342 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;
343 Check the charts&lt;/a&gt; for 20th century works.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
344 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Remember - when in doubt, ask.&amp;nbsp; &lt;A
345 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.
346 &lt;/font&gt;
347 &lt;/P&gt;
348 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And give thanks to the US District Court for the
349 Southern District of New York.&amp;nbsp; In our age of increasing mergers
350 between large, global multi-media companies and the pre-eminence of a few
351 large museums, it's possible that - one day - a handful of
352 companies/museums could control access to most of the great works of art
353 in human history.&amp;nbsp; Public domain guarantees us access to those works,
354 and without it we would be....&amp;nbsp; Well, we would be stuck at the table
355 of mediocrity, denied our right to explore the best parts of our heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
356 &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;
357 &lt;blockquote&gt;
358 &lt;hr&gt;
359 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
360 &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;
361 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For now (October 2004), the Bridgeman decision
362 stands.&amp;nbsp; If anything changes, I will post it here.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
363 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please note that
364 &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
365 copyright changes&lt;/a&gt; further extend copyright terms of 20th century works.&amp;nbsp;
366 Books, music, etc which might have been scheduled to pass into the public
367 domain are now protected for several more decades.&amp;nbsp; (Yet another
368 sell-out to the growing 'content industry'....)&amp;nbsp; If you live in
369 Europe, please research the new terms.&amp;nbsp; If the above link has
370 expired, simply type 'EU copyright law 2003' into a search engine and
371 start exploring.&amp;nbsp; Though most articles focus on digital music and
372 film, the law applies to all creative works.&amp;nbsp; It's even worse than the DMCA.&amp;nbsp;
373 Egads!&amp;nbsp; I never thought a law could be worse than the DMCA.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
374 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please
375 &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
376 here&lt;/a&gt; to read an interesting 'question and answer' about Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
377 Professor Ochoa's response is reasonable and apt, particularly this
378 comment: 'Where the public does not have access to the original painting,
379 the ONLY way it has to reproduce the painting itself is to reproduce a
380 reproduction of it. Unless we hold that the Bridgeman photographs can be
381 freely copied, the painting, as a practical matter, is not in the public
382 domain.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;In other words, unless museums are willing to allow
383 people to photograph the original work, the paintings are not truly in the
384 public domain.&amp;nbsp; I do disagree with his closing comment, in which he
385 attempts to distinguish between US copyright law and other nations.&amp;nbsp;
386 The concepts of 'fair use' and 'public domain' are recognized on an
387 international level.&amp;nbsp; Also, is a person making a slavish photographic
388 reproduction of a work of art truly the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of the photograph?&amp;nbsp;
389 This point was discussed in the Bridgeman decision.&amp;nbsp; The term &lt;i&gt;
390 copyist&lt;/i&gt; is far more appropriate, despite the amount of work involved
391 in taking the photograph.&amp;nbsp; An apt comparison is this (earlier
392 discussed with the example of Keats's poetry) - if a
393 photographer who merely reproduces a work of art is the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of
394 the reproduction, then someone who copies a novel out word-for-word is
395 also its &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly, this cannot be the case.&amp;nbsp; Yet
396 the amount of work required to photograph the painting is the same as the
397 work involved in copying out a book by hand.&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;In other words, &lt;i&gt;
398 labor&lt;/i&gt; does not imply originality, or a creative spark.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; You
399 can take three minutes or three days to make a reproduction.&amp;nbsp; You can
400 use a camera or Martian technology.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter.&amp;nbsp; You are
401 merely copying the work.&amp;nbsp; If it
402 seems as though I'm being simplistic here, rest assured that I am - and it
403 is deliberate.&amp;nbsp; This issue is very simple and analogies help reveal
404 the simplicity.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
405 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In any case, Bridgeman vs Corel
406 was not concerned with the &lt;i&gt;processes&lt;/i&gt; of reproduction
407 since those are covered by patent law.&amp;nbsp; It was concerned with
408 copyright.&amp;nbsp; Copyright exists to reward the creative spark /
409 originality.&amp;nbsp; It does not exist to reward labor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
410 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You may wonder why I'm going on
411 and on about the photography angle.&amp;nbsp; It's because museums have made
412 it their new argument for copyright protection and against Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
413 They claim the court did not fully understand or appreciate the labor
414 involved in making photographic reproductions.&amp;nbsp; But they are being
415 disingenuous, as my above paragraph demonstrates.&amp;nbsp; Also, Judge Kaplan
416 most assuredly considered the labor involved.&amp;nbsp; No one is denying that
417 photographers labor to create the reproduction.&amp;nbsp; But why should that
418 work be used to create a perpetual copyright for something in the public
419 domain?!&amp;nbsp; Museums are mute on that point.&amp;nbsp; The photographers are
420 paid for their labor.&amp;nbsp; The museums deny the public access to the
421 works and therefore control the 'licensing' of the best reproductions.&amp;nbsp;
422 They are paid for the licenses.&amp;nbsp; Who suffers in this situation?&amp;nbsp;
423 The public!&amp;nbsp; By law, we should be able to go to a museum and demand
424 access to a painting in the public domain so we can take photographs.&amp;nbsp;
425 But museums won't let us!&amp;nbsp; I know this because I've tried it.&amp;nbsp;
426 Museums simply don't want competition for their 'officially-licensed'
427 merchandise.&amp;nbsp; It's all about profit, - if they were concerned with
428 'artistic integrity', they would allow the public right of access or
429 provide an approved, high-quality reproduction to anyone who asked.&amp;nbsp;
430 Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen....&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
431 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;If the concept of public domain
432 is to have any meaning at all, then exact photographic reproductions
433 cannot be given copyright.&amp;nbsp; It's a matter of principle - and common
434 sense - and public interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
435 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
436 &lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
437 &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,
438 Protecting the Public Domain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;The best source
439 on the internet.&amp;nbsp; It contains information on the disastrous Jan 2003 Eldred
440 ruling by the US Supreme Court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
441 &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;
442 &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot; face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;to EnglishHistory.net&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
443 &lt;/td&gt;
444 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
445 &lt;/tr&gt;
446&lt;/table&gt;
447
448
449
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452</Content>
453</Section>
454</Archive>
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