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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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21 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Others</Metadata>
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32
33&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
34 &lt;tr&gt;
35 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
36 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
37 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
38 &lt;/tr&gt;
39 &lt;tr&gt;
40 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
41 &lt;td width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
42 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
43 &lt;/tr&gt;
44 &lt;tr&gt;
45 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
47 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
48 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightba.gif&quot; width=&quot;422&quot; height=&quot;162&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
49 &lt;blockquote&gt;
50 &lt;hr&gt;
51 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I created this page in 1999 as a common sense
52 &lt;I&gt;introduction&lt;/I&gt; to copyright terms.&amp;nbsp; It also discusses the Bridgeman vs
53 Corel decision and public domain issues.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
54 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;The issue of copyright was most
55 eloquently discussed - and the concept of public domain most eloquently
56 defended - by the historian Thomas Macaulay in 1841.&amp;nbsp; Please
57 &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;
58 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#FF0000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;updated 1
59 October 2004:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had to share this news with public domain
60 advocates.&amp;nbsp; I was reading through some of the Congressional speeches
61 regarding copyright and came across this gem - Congresswoman Mary Bono
62 (whose late husband pushed through one of the most disastrous copyright
63 laws ever) was reminded that the US Constitution prohibits perpetual
64 intellectual property rights.&amp;nbsp; Her response?&amp;nbsp; The copyright term
65 should be &amp;quot;forever minus one day&amp;quot;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
66 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I'm serious.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
67 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;If that doesn't offend and alarm you,
68 what will?&amp;nbsp; If she had her way, you wouldn't be able to read The
69 Bible for free.&amp;nbsp; Please consider this issue when you vote.&amp;nbsp; This
70 is one of the great unreported stories in the US, Europe and now, sadly,
71 Australia.&amp;nbsp; Yes, the Aussies signed (August 2004) a free-trade
72 agreement with the US which required that Australia accept our draconian
73 copyright laws.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
74 &lt;hr&gt;
75 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
76 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Definition of terms used on this
77 page -&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
78
79 &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,
80 or a distributor to exclusive production, sale, or distribution of their
81 work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does COPYRIGHT exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It allows artists to profit
82 from their work.&amp;nbsp; Profit, in turn, creates an incentive to work and
83 distribute the work.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
84
85 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
86
87 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;PUBLIC DOMAIN&lt;/B&gt; - the status of publications, products, and
88 processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.&amp;nbsp; All
89 images at this site are in the public domain, and have been for several
90 hundred years. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does PUBLIC DOMAIN exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It exists to
91 allow the free exchange of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; If it did not, museums would
92 be allowed to keep images under perpetual copyright, thus denying everyone
93 the opportunity to view, critique, or otherwise examine works. &lt;BR&gt;Please
94 note that most 20th century works of art are not yet considered part of
95 the PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;Click
96 &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
97 when works pass into the public domain.&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
98
99 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
100
101 &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
102 the copyright owner; in other words, it allows reasonable public access to
103 copyrighted works. &lt;BR&gt;The idea is an important part of the English
104 common-law tradition. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does FAIR USE exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;FAIR USE
105 allows people to use images and written works without compensating the
106 original writer/creator, as long as they act in good faith and do not
107 profit from reproducing the work.&amp;nbsp; Education, parody, criticism, news
108 reporting, etc are all examples of fair use. &lt;BR&gt;The idea of FAIR USE has
109 guided the use of reproductions of works for years.&amp;nbsp; In most cases,
110 the lack of commercial gain is necessary for a claim of fair use.&amp;nbsp; If
111 you are a non-profit website designed for educational purposes, you are in
112 the perfect position to claim FAIR USE of images which are already in the
113 PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
114 &lt;blockquote&gt;
115 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
116
117 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
118
119 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;
120 &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;
121
122 &lt;P&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Yes, we live in a world where the Scrots portrait
123 of the future Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be under copyright - but
124 Elizabeth's own letters / speeches / poetry have been in the public domain
125 for centuries....&amp;nbsp; Funny.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
126
127 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For a long time, the FAIR USE doctrine occupied a grey area of law,
128 usually decided on a case-by-case basis.&amp;nbsp; Typically, if someone were
129 profiting from another person's work which was not in the PUBLIC DOMAIN,
130 it was not considered fair use.&amp;nbsp; Museums typically did not sue
131 non-profit websites which reproduced images for educational
132 purposes.&amp;nbsp; If they had, the court would have forced them to prove a
133 substantial loss of profit from the use.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, such proof
134 would not exist and the court would not look favorably upon such a
135 vindictive case, particularly since the images were already in the public
136 domain. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
137 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;However, on 18th February 1999, the grey area was cleared
138 considerably.&amp;nbsp; Fair Use was no longer a murky legal issue to be
139 debated by webmasters and museums.&amp;nbsp; The United States District Court
140 for the Southern District of New York decided the following case -
141 &lt;/font&gt;
142&lt;/P&gt;
143 &lt;CENTER&gt;
144 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel
145 Corporation, et ano., Defendants.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;97 Civ. 6232
146 (LAK)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/CENTER&gt;
147 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Their decision was one of the most important copyright decision
148 affecting museums ever filed.&amp;nbsp; The decision was based on both US and
149 UK copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
150 &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
151 Bridgeman Art Library had made photographic reproductions of famous works
152 of art from museums around the world (works already in the public
153 domain.)&amp;nbsp; The Corel Corporation used those reproductions for an
154 educational CD-ROM without paying Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp; Bridgeman claimed
155 copyright infringement. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
156 &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
157 reproductions of images in the public domain are not protected by
158 copyright if the reproductions are slavish or lacking in originality.
159 &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
160 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In their opinion, the Court noted:&amp;nbsp; ''There is little doubt that many
161 photographs, probably the overwhelming majority, reflect at least the
162 modest amount of originality required for copyright protection....&amp;nbsp;
163 But 'slavish copying', although doubtless requiring technical skill and
164 effort, does not qualify.'' &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
165 &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
166 domain does not possess creativity itself.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, the
167 reproduction is not protected under copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
168 &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
169 allows me to share the beautiful images at my sites.&amp;nbsp; But it's
170 important to everyone because it means that museums cannot assert
171 perpetual copyright to works.&amp;nbsp; In other words, museums cannot take a
172 picture of an old painting about to become part of the public domain,
173 claim a new copyright through the reproduction, and do the same process
174 over and over so that the painting never truly enters the public
175 domain.&amp;nbsp; They would simply be taking the work from one private domain
176 to another, thus invalidating the spirit of copyright law. &lt;BR&gt;In short,
177 simply transferring an exact image from one medium to another does not
178 create a new copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
179 &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
180 reproductions of two-dimensional works (like paintings or drawings.)&amp;nbsp;
181 Reproductions of three-dimensional works, such as sculpture, possess the
182 necessary creativity for a separate copyright - after all, the
183 photographer must choose an angle to shoot from, lighting, backdrop,
184 etc&amp;nbsp; In other words, he is not merely reproducing an exact image.
185 &lt;/font&gt;
186&lt;/P&gt;
187 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Also, please note that a non-exact reproduction of
188 an image is not covered.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
189 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This is an important point - only EXACT COPIES of the paintings are
190 affected by the decision.&amp;nbsp; The decision is based upon the correct
191 premise that 'slavish copies' do not possess any originality or creativity
192 of their own, and are thus ineligible for copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
193 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Court explained this point further: &lt;BR&gt;''There has been no
194 independent creation, no distinguishable variation from pre-existing
195 works, nothing recognizably the author's own contribution''....&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
196 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This merely reflected an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court which
197 stated that &quot;sweat of the brow&quot; (for example, the act of reproducing a
198 work) is not the &quot;creative spark&quot; which deserves copyright.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
199 &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
200 First Amendment Law Library -&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
201 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;
202 &lt;/font&gt;
203 &lt;/P&gt;
204 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I encourage visitors to read the decision.&amp;nbsp; Judge Kaplan is
205 remarkably concise, particularly when compared to other jurists.&amp;nbsp;
206 (Note: the original decision has been replaced by Judge Kaplan's
207 memorandum opinion after Bridgeman moved for reargument and
208 reconsideration following his summary judgment.)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
209 &lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
210 &lt;blockquote&gt;
211 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
212
213 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
214
215 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is interesting to note that many museums, and the American
216 Association of Museums, were unhappy that Bridgeman brought the case
217 against Corel, surmising (correctly, it turned out) that the Court would
218 not rule in their favor.&amp;nbsp; In fact, the Court quoted a former general
219 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;
220 Museum directors, like everyone else, knew that exact reproductions did
221 not possess the necessary creativity to have their own copyright.&amp;nbsp;
222 After all, if such a standard did exist, I could copy out John Keats's
223 poetry word-for-word and then claim I was entitled to a copyright to the
224 poems.&amp;nbsp; Such an idea is ludicrous.&amp;nbsp; Keats's poetry
225 is in the public domain.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
226 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And if his original poems are in the public domain, why aren't
227 portraits of him painted at the same time?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
228 &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;
229 &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 -
230 &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
231 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;First, the Bridgeman vs Corel decision will not bankrupt
232 museums.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; It is true that museums make money selling
233 reproductions of the images in their collections.&amp;nbsp; However,
234 commercial publishers will still want a high quality reproduction of the
235 image which can only truly be provided by the museum which controls access
236 to the painting; publishers don't care much about copyright, only the
237 best-looking image.&amp;nbsp; Webmasters, at best, can only scan reproductions
238 and even the best scanner cannot capture the quality of a museum-approved
239 reproduction.&amp;nbsp; And webmasters are not selling reproductions which
240 claim to be made by the museums which own the original work; that would be
241 fraudulent and illegal.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
242 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Second, most museums hold their collections in the public trust and
243 exist primarily as educational/cultural facilities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/B&gt;The public domain
244 images in their collections are exactly that - in the public domain, and
245 we are the public.&amp;nbsp; Most museums also receive money and special tax
246 breaks from the cities/states/countries in which they are located.&amp;nbsp;
247 Why?&amp;nbsp; Because they are public institutions.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
248 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Third - and perhaps most importantly - copyrights and public domain
249 and fair use are all terms which exist together for a reason.
250 &lt;/B&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Copyrights are necessary because&lt;/B&gt; they allow artists/writers
251 to profit from their own work.&amp;nbsp; And profit, of course, provides
252 incentive to create more work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Public Domain is necessary
253 because&lt;/B&gt; it allows for the free exchange of ideas, a necessary part of
254 life in a free society. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Fair Use is necessary because&lt;/B&gt; it allows
255 the public some access to copyrighted work, as long as they do not profit
256 from it.&amp;nbsp; After all, you should not be allowed to essentially steal
257 money for another person's hard work.&amp;nbsp; However, fair use allows news
258 reporting, book reviews, research reports, educational works, etc to
259 discuss the work. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
260 &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
261 be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve
262 the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and
263 the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a
264 fair return for an &quot;author's&quot; creative labor. But the ultimate aim is, by
265 this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public
266 good.&quot;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
267 &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
268 copyright exceed the artist's personal copyright?&amp;nbsp; Yes, that's right
269 - artists and their descendants do not receive money from museums making
270 reproductions of their works.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because the works are in
271 the public domain.&amp;nbsp; Copyright has passed for the artist!&amp;nbsp; They
272 can no longer profit from their work.&amp;nbsp; Yet museums are claiming they
273 possess an endless copyright of the work simply because they own the
274 original (which is in the public domain.)&amp;nbsp; If it sounds absurd, well,
275 it is absurd.&amp;nbsp; It's absurd and offensive and illegal.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
276 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Take a moment to imagine Van Gogh's heirs suing
277 over all those coffee mugs with his famous sunflowers, or the endless
278 posters of his starry skies.&amp;nbsp; Exactly.&amp;nbsp; You would laugh at the
279 news.&amp;nbsp; Now take a moment to laugh at museums.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
280 &lt;blockquote&gt;
281 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
282
283 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
284
285 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In a perfect world, the artist profits from their work for a very
286 lengthy period of time and then the work becomes part of our cultural
287 heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
288
289 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In our imperfect world, however, museums often attempt to
290 intimidate webmasters and others into either paying large sums for
291 reproduction rights, or to remove the images entirely.&amp;nbsp; They count
292 upon webmasters having neither the legal knowledge to defend their rights
293 or having money to hire legal counsel.&amp;nbsp; Most museums, of course, have
294 large budgets and numerous attorneys.&amp;nbsp; And they know it's far easier
295 to intimidate the 'little guy' rather than a wealthy company which can tie
296 a case up in court for many expensive years.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
297
298 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;They also know that
299 Bridgeman vs Corel has clarified the formerly vague concept of fair
300 use.&amp;nbsp; Before, they could shape fair use to their own needs.&amp;nbsp; Now,
301 however, fair use has been quite clearly defined. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
302
303 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is important to
304 remember that museums were first created in the 18th century to allow the
305 public free access to their cultural treasures, not to make money selling
306 t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc&amp;nbsp; I understand that they wish to raise
307 funds for their work, but - as I explained earlier - Bridgeman vs Corel
308 will not bankrupt museums.&amp;nbsp; After all, in the early 1980s, the movie
309 industry believed VCRs would destroy Hollywood.&amp;nbsp; Obviously, that
310 hasn't happened.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
311
312 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In light of the Bridgeman vs Corel decision, museums
313 have decided to focus on controlling access rather than subverting the
314 concept of public domain.&amp;nbsp; This, too, has led to some rather
315 questionable practices.&amp;nbsp; Think about it for a moment - if a unique
316 work of art is in the public domain and the museum willfully disallows
317 access to the work (for reproduction purposes), aren't they guilty of
318 creating a monopoly?&amp;nbsp; And of attempting to create an illegal
319 perpetual copyright?&amp;nbsp; Just a few points to ponder, among many others.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
320 &lt;blockquote&gt;
321 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
322
323 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
324
325 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I have (very quickly) created this page to help webmasters understand
326 their rights.&amp;nbsp; I apologize if something is explained badly, or not at
327 all.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
328 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Please keep in mind that the all-important Bridgeman vs Corel
329 decision applies only to exact reproductions of two-dimensional works of
330 art already in the public domain.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;And so drawings of
331 Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, which are still under copyright, cannot be
332 reproduced on your webpage; neither can a book written in 1970, or a song
333 recorded in 1950, or painting made in 1945.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, copyright
334 extensions are a fact of life throughout most of the world.&amp;nbsp; In the
335 US, for example, copyright has been extended 11 times in the last 40
336 years.&amp;nbsp; However, all works prior to the 20th century are in the
337 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;
338 Check the charts&lt;/a&gt; for 20th century works.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
339 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Remember - when in doubt, ask.&amp;nbsp; &lt;A
340 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.
341 &lt;/font&gt;
342 &lt;/P&gt;
343 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And give thanks to the US District Court for the
344 Southern District of New York.&amp;nbsp; In our age of increasing mergers
345 between large, global multi-media companies and the pre-eminence of a few
346 large museums, it's possible that - one day - a handful of
347 companies/museums could control access to most of the great works of art
348 in human history.&amp;nbsp; Public domain guarantees us access to those works,
349 and without it we would be....&amp;nbsp; Well, we would be stuck at the table
350 of mediocrity, denied our right to explore the best parts of our heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
351 &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;
352 &lt;blockquote&gt;
353 &lt;hr&gt;
354 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
355 &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;
356 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For now (October 2004), the Bridgeman decision
357 stands.&amp;nbsp; If anything changes, I will post it here.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
358 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please note that
359 &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
360 copyright changes&lt;/a&gt; further extend copyright terms of 20th century works.&amp;nbsp;
361 Books, music, etc which might have been scheduled to pass into the public
362 domain are now protected for several more decades.&amp;nbsp; (Yet another
363 sell-out to the growing 'content industry'....)&amp;nbsp; If you live in
364 Europe, please research the new terms.&amp;nbsp; If the above link has
365 expired, simply type 'EU copyright law 2003' into a search engine and
366 start exploring.&amp;nbsp; Though most articles focus on digital music and
367 film, the law applies to all creative works.&amp;nbsp; It's even worse than the DMCA.&amp;nbsp;
368 Egads!&amp;nbsp; I never thought a law could be worse than the DMCA.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
369 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please
370 &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
371 here&lt;/a&gt; to read an interesting 'question and answer' about Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
372 Professor Ochoa's response is reasonable and apt, particularly this
373 comment: 'Where the public does not have access to the original painting,
374 the ONLY way it has to reproduce the painting itself is to reproduce a
375 reproduction of it. Unless we hold that the Bridgeman photographs can be
376 freely copied, the painting, as a practical matter, is not in the public
377 domain.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;In other words, unless museums are willing to allow
378 people to photograph the original work, the paintings are not truly in the
379 public domain.&amp;nbsp; I do disagree with his closing comment, in which he
380 attempts to distinguish between US copyright law and other nations.&amp;nbsp;
381 The concepts of 'fair use' and 'public domain' are recognized on an
382 international level.&amp;nbsp; Also, is a person making a slavish photographic
383 reproduction of a work of art truly the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of the photograph?&amp;nbsp;
384 This point was discussed in the Bridgeman decision.&amp;nbsp; The term &lt;i&gt;
385 copyist&lt;/i&gt; is far more appropriate, despite the amount of work involved
386 in taking the photograph.&amp;nbsp; An apt comparison is this (earlier
387 discussed with the example of Keats's poetry) - if a
388 photographer who merely reproduces a work of art is the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of
389 the reproduction, then someone who copies a novel out word-for-word is
390 also its &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly, this cannot be the case.&amp;nbsp; Yet
391 the amount of work required to photograph the painting is the same as the
392 work involved in copying out a book by hand.&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;In other words, &lt;i&gt;
393 labor&lt;/i&gt; does not imply originality, or a creative spark.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; You
394 can take three minutes or three days to make a reproduction.&amp;nbsp; You can
395 use a camera or Martian technology.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter.&amp;nbsp; You are
396 merely copying the work.&amp;nbsp; If it
397 seems as though I'm being simplistic here, rest assured that I am - and it
398 is deliberate.&amp;nbsp; This issue is very simple and analogies help reveal
399 the simplicity.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
400 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In any case, Bridgeman vs Corel
401 was not concerned with the &lt;i&gt;processes&lt;/i&gt; of reproduction
402 since those are covered by patent law.&amp;nbsp; It was concerned with
403 copyright.&amp;nbsp; Copyright exists to reward the creative spark /
404 originality.&amp;nbsp; It does not exist to reward labor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
405 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You may wonder why I'm going on
406 and on about the photography angle.&amp;nbsp; It's because museums have made
407 it their new argument for copyright protection and against Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
408 They claim the court did not fully understand or appreciate the labor
409 involved in making photographic reproductions.&amp;nbsp; But they are being
410 disingenuous, as my above paragraph demonstrates.&amp;nbsp; Also, Judge Kaplan
411 most assuredly considered the labor involved.&amp;nbsp; No one is denying that
412 photographers labor to create the reproduction.&amp;nbsp; But why should that
413 work be used to create a perpetual copyright for something in the public
414 domain?!&amp;nbsp; Museums are mute on that point.&amp;nbsp; The photographers are
415 paid for their labor.&amp;nbsp; The museums deny the public access to the
416 works and therefore control the 'licensing' of the best reproductions.&amp;nbsp;
417 They are paid for the licenses.&amp;nbsp; Who suffers in this situation?&amp;nbsp;
418 The public!&amp;nbsp; By law, we should be able to go to a museum and demand
419 access to a painting in the public domain so we can take photographs.&amp;nbsp;
420 But museums won't let us!&amp;nbsp; I know this because I've tried it.&amp;nbsp;
421 Museums simply don't want competition for their 'officially-licensed'
422 merchandise.&amp;nbsp; It's all about profit, - if they were concerned with
423 'artistic integrity', they would allow the public right of access or
424 provide an approved, high-quality reproduction to anyone who asked.&amp;nbsp;
425 Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen....&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
426 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;If the concept of public domain
427 is to have any meaning at all, then exact photographic reproductions
428 cannot be given copyright.&amp;nbsp; It's a matter of principle - and common
429 sense - and public interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
430 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
431 &lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
432 &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,
433 Protecting the Public Domain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;The best source
434 on the internet.&amp;nbsp; It contains information on the disastrous Jan 2003 Eldred
435 ruling by the US Supreme Court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
436 &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;
437 &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot; face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;to EnglishHistory.net&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
438 &lt;/td&gt;
439 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
440 &lt;/tr&gt;
441&lt;/table&gt;
442
443
444
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447</Content>
448</Section>
449</Archive>
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