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15 <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
16 <Metadata name="Page_topic">museum art reproductions right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
17 <Metadata name="Content">right to display public domain images Bridgeman vs Corel copyright</Metadata>
18 <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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25 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Others</Metadata>
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36
37&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;667&quot;&gt;
38 &lt;tr&gt;
39 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
40 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
41 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;29&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
42 &lt;/tr&gt;
43 &lt;tr&gt;
44 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
45 &lt;td width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot; bgcolor=&quot;#000000&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;3&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
47 &lt;/tr&gt;
48 &lt;tr&gt;
49 &lt;td width=&quot;14%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
50 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;73%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
51 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
52 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/copyrightba.gif&quot; width=&quot;422&quot; height=&quot;162&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
53 &lt;blockquote&gt;
54 &lt;hr&gt;
55 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I created this page in 1999 as a common sense
56 &lt;I&gt;introduction&lt;/I&gt; to copyright terms.&amp;nbsp; It also discusses the Bridgeman vs
57 Corel decision and public domain issues.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
58 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;The issue of copyright was most
59 eloquently discussed - and the concept of public domain most eloquently
60 defended - by the historian Thomas Macaulay in 1841.&amp;nbsp; Please
61 &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;
62 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font color=&quot;#FF0000&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;updated 1
63 October 2004:&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&amp;nbsp; I had to share this news with public domain
64 advocates.&amp;nbsp; I was reading through some of the Congressional speeches
65 regarding copyright and came across this gem - Congresswoman Mary Bono
66 (whose late husband pushed through one of the most disastrous copyright
67 laws ever) was reminded that the US Constitution prohibits perpetual
68 intellectual property rights.&amp;nbsp; Her response?&amp;nbsp; The copyright term
69 should be &amp;quot;forever minus one day&amp;quot;.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
70 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I'm serious.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
71 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;If that doesn't offend and alarm you,
72 what will?&amp;nbsp; If she had her way, you wouldn't be able to read The
73 Bible for free.&amp;nbsp; Please consider this issue when you vote.&amp;nbsp; This
74 is one of the great unreported stories in the US, Europe and now, sadly,
75 Australia.&amp;nbsp; Yes, the Aussies signed (August 2004) a free-trade
76 agreement with the US which required that Australia accept our draconian
77 copyright laws.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
78 &lt;hr&gt;
79 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
80 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;FONT size=4&gt;Definition of terms used on this
81 page -&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
82
83 &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,
84 or a distributor to exclusive production, sale, or distribution of their
85 work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does COPYRIGHT exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It allows artists to profit
86 from their work.&amp;nbsp; Profit, in turn, creates an incentive to work and
87 distribute the work.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
88
89 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
90
91 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;PUBLIC DOMAIN&lt;/B&gt; - the status of publications, products, and
92 processes that are not protected under patent or copyright.&amp;nbsp; All
93 images at this site are in the public domain, and have been for several
94 hundred years. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does PUBLIC DOMAIN exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;It exists to
95 allow the free exchange of knowledge.&amp;nbsp; If it did not, museums would
96 be allowed to keep images under perpetual copyright, thus denying everyone
97 the opportunity to view, critique, or otherwise examine works. &lt;BR&gt;Please
98 note that most 20th century works of art are not yet considered part of
99 the PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT size=-1&gt;Click
100 &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
101 when works pass into the public domain.&lt;/FONT&gt; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
102
103 &lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
104
105 &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
106 the copyright owner; in other words, it allows reasonable public access to
107 copyrighted works. &lt;BR&gt;The idea is an important part of the English
108 common-law tradition. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Why does FAIR USE exist?&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;FAIR USE
109 allows people to use images and written works without compensating the
110 original writer/creator, as long as they act in good faith and do not
111 profit from reproducing the work.&amp;nbsp; Education, parody, criticism, news
112 reporting, etc are all examples of fair use. &lt;BR&gt;The idea of FAIR USE has
113 guided the use of reproductions of works for years.&amp;nbsp; In most cases,
114 the lack of commercial gain is necessary for a claim of fair use.&amp;nbsp; If
115 you are a non-profit website designed for educational purposes, you are in
116 the perfect position to claim FAIR USE of images which are already in the
117 PUBLIC DOMAIN. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
118 &lt;blockquote&gt;
119 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
120
121 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
122
123 &lt;P align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;
124 &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;
125
126 &lt;P&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Yes, we live in a world where the Scrots portrait
127 of the future Queen Elizabeth I is considered to be under copyright - but
128 Elizabeth's own letters / speeches / poetry have been in the public domain
129 for centuries....&amp;nbsp; Funny.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
130
131 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For a long time, the FAIR USE doctrine occupied a grey area of law,
132 usually decided on a case-by-case basis.&amp;nbsp; Typically, if someone were
133 profiting from another person's work which was not in the PUBLIC DOMAIN,
134 it was not considered fair use.&amp;nbsp; Museums typically did not sue
135 non-profit websites which reproduced images for educational
136 purposes.&amp;nbsp; If they had, the court would have forced them to prove a
137 substantial loss of profit from the use.&amp;nbsp; Understandably, such proof
138 would not exist and the court would not look favorably upon such a
139 vindictive case, particularly since the images were already in the public
140 domain. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
141 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;However, on 18th February 1999, the grey area was cleared
142 considerably.&amp;nbsp; Fair Use was no longer a murky legal issue to be
143 debated by webmasters and museums.&amp;nbsp; The United States District Court
144 for the Southern District of New York decided the following case -
145 &lt;/font&gt;
146&lt;/P&gt;
147 &lt;CENTER&gt;
148 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;The Bridgeman Art Library, Ltd., Plaintiff, - versus - Corel
149 Corporation, et ano., Defendants.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;97 Civ. 6232
150 (LAK)&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;/CENTER&gt;
151 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Their decision was one of the most important copyright decision
152 affecting museums ever filed.&amp;nbsp; The decision was based on both US and
153 UK copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
154 &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
155 Bridgeman Art Library had made photographic reproductions of famous works
156 of art from museums around the world (works already in the public
157 domain.)&amp;nbsp; The Corel Corporation used those reproductions for an
158 educational CD-ROM without paying Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp; Bridgeman claimed
159 copyright infringement. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
160 &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
161 reproductions of images in the public domain are not protected by
162 copyright if the reproductions are slavish or lacking in originality.
163 &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
164 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In their opinion, the Court noted:&amp;nbsp; ''There is little doubt that many
165 photographs, probably the overwhelming majority, reflect at least the
166 modest amount of originality required for copyright protection....&amp;nbsp;
167 But 'slavish copying', although doubtless requiring technical skill and
168 effort, does not qualify.'' &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
169 &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
170 domain does not possess creativity itself.&amp;nbsp; Therefore, the
171 reproduction is not protected under copyright law.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
172 &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
173 allows me to share the beautiful images at my sites.&amp;nbsp; But it's
174 important to everyone because it means that museums cannot assert
175 perpetual copyright to works.&amp;nbsp; In other words, museums cannot take a
176 picture of an old painting about to become part of the public domain,
177 claim a new copyright through the reproduction, and do the same process
178 over and over so that the painting never truly enters the public
179 domain.&amp;nbsp; They would simply be taking the work from one private domain
180 to another, thus invalidating the spirit of copyright law. &lt;BR&gt;In short,
181 simply transferring an exact image from one medium to another does not
182 create a new copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
183 &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
184 reproductions of two-dimensional works (like paintings or drawings.)&amp;nbsp;
185 Reproductions of three-dimensional works, such as sculpture, possess the
186 necessary creativity for a separate copyright - after all, the
187 photographer must choose an angle to shoot from, lighting, backdrop,
188 etc&amp;nbsp; In other words, he is not merely reproducing an exact image.
189 &lt;/font&gt;
190&lt;/P&gt;
191 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Also, please note that a non-exact reproduction of
192 an image is not covered.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
193 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This is an important point - only EXACT COPIES of the paintings are
194 affected by the decision.&amp;nbsp; The decision is based upon the correct
195 premise that 'slavish copies' do not possess any originality or creativity
196 of their own, and are thus ineligible for copyright. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
197 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;The Court explained this point further: &lt;BR&gt;''There has been no
198 independent creation, no distinguishable variation from pre-existing
199 works, nothing recognizably the author's own contribution''....&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
200 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;This merely reflected an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court which
201 stated that &quot;sweat of the brow&quot; (for example, the act of reproducing a
202 work) is not the &quot;creative spark&quot; which deserves copyright.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
203 &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
204 First Amendment Law Library -&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;&lt;A
205 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;
206 &lt;/font&gt;
207 &lt;/P&gt;
208 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I encourage visitors to read the decision.&amp;nbsp; Judge Kaplan is
209 remarkably concise, particularly when compared to other jurists.&amp;nbsp;
210 (Note: the original decision has been replaced by Judge Kaplan's
211 memorandum opinion after Bridgeman moved for reargument and
212 reconsideration following his summary judgment.)&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
213 &lt;P&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
214 &lt;blockquote&gt;
215 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
216
217 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
218
219 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is interesting to note that many museums, and the American
220 Association of Museums, were unhappy that Bridgeman brought the case
221 against Corel, surmising (correctly, it turned out) that the Court would
222 not rule in their favor.&amp;nbsp; In fact, the Court quoted a former general
223 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;
224 Museum directors, like everyone else, knew that exact reproductions did
225 not possess the necessary creativity to have their own copyright.&amp;nbsp;
226 After all, if such a standard did exist, I could copy out John Keats's
227 poetry word-for-word and then claim I was entitled to a copyright to the
228 poems.&amp;nbsp; Such an idea is ludicrous.&amp;nbsp; Keats's poetry
229 is in the public domain.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
230 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And if his original poems are in the public domain, why aren't
231 portraits of him painted at the same time?&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
232 &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;
233 &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 -
234 &lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
235 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;First, the Bridgeman vs Corel decision will not bankrupt
236 museums.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/B&gt; It is true that museums make money selling
237 reproductions of the images in their collections.&amp;nbsp; However,
238 commercial publishers will still want a high quality reproduction of the
239 image which can only truly be provided by the museum which controls access
240 to the painting; publishers don't care much about copyright, only the
241 best-looking image.&amp;nbsp; Webmasters, at best, can only scan reproductions
242 and even the best scanner cannot capture the quality of a museum-approved
243 reproduction.&amp;nbsp; And webmasters are not selling reproductions which
244 claim to be made by the museums which own the original work; that would be
245 fraudulent and illegal.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
246 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Second, most museums hold their collections in the public trust and
247 exist primarily as educational/cultural facilities.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/B&gt;The public domain
248 images in their collections are exactly that - in the public domain, and
249 we are the public.&amp;nbsp; Most museums also receive money and special tax
250 breaks from the cities/states/countries in which they are located.&amp;nbsp;
251 Why?&amp;nbsp; Because they are public institutions.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
252 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Third - and perhaps most importantly - copyrights and public domain
253 and fair use are all terms which exist together for a reason.
254 &lt;/B&gt;&lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Copyrights are necessary because&lt;/B&gt; they allow artists/writers
255 to profit from their own work.&amp;nbsp; And profit, of course, provides
256 incentive to create more work. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Public Domain is necessary
257 because&lt;/B&gt; it allows for the free exchange of ideas, a necessary part of
258 life in a free society. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;B&gt;Fair Use is necessary because&lt;/B&gt; it allows
259 the public some access to copyrighted work, as long as they do not profit
260 from it.&amp;nbsp; After all, you should not be allowed to essentially steal
261 money for another person's hard work.&amp;nbsp; However, fair use allows news
262 reporting, book reviews, research reports, educational works, etc to
263 discuss the work. &lt;/font&gt; &lt;/P&gt;
264 &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
265 be encouraged and rewarded, but private motivation must ultimately serve
266 the cause of promoting broad public availability of literature, music, and
267 the other arts. The immediate effect of our copyright law is to secure a
268 fair return for an &quot;author's&quot; creative labor. But the ultimate aim is, by
269 this incentive, to stimulate artistic creativity for the general public
270 good.&quot;&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
271 &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
272 copyright exceed the artist's personal copyright?&amp;nbsp; Yes, that's right
273 - artists and their descendants do not receive money from museums making
274 reproductions of their works.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Because the works are in
275 the public domain.&amp;nbsp; Copyright has passed for the artist!&amp;nbsp; They
276 can no longer profit from their work.&amp;nbsp; Yet museums are claiming they
277 possess an endless copyright of the work simply because they own the
278 original (which is in the public domain.)&amp;nbsp; If it sounds absurd, well,
279 it is absurd.&amp;nbsp; It's absurd and offensive and illegal.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
280 &lt;P&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Take a moment to imagine Van Gogh's heirs suing
281 over all those coffee mugs with his famous sunflowers, or the endless
282 posters of his starry skies.&amp;nbsp; Exactly.&amp;nbsp; You would laugh at the
283 news.&amp;nbsp; Now take a moment to laugh at museums.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
284 &lt;blockquote&gt;
285 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
286
287 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
288
289 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In a perfect world, the artist profits from their work for a very
290 lengthy period of time and then the work becomes part of our cultural
291 heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
292
293 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In our imperfect world, however, museums often attempt to
294 intimidate webmasters and others into either paying large sums for
295 reproduction rights, or to remove the images entirely.&amp;nbsp; They count
296 upon webmasters having neither the legal knowledge to defend their rights
297 or having money to hire legal counsel.&amp;nbsp; Most museums, of course, have
298 large budgets and numerous attorneys.&amp;nbsp; And they know it's far easier
299 to intimidate the 'little guy' rather than a wealthy company which can tie
300 a case up in court for many expensive years.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
301
302 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;They also know that
303 Bridgeman vs Corel has clarified the formerly vague concept of fair
304 use.&amp;nbsp; Before, they could shape fair use to their own needs.&amp;nbsp; Now,
305 however, fair use has been quite clearly defined. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
306
307 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;It is important to
308 remember that museums were first created in the 18th century to allow the
309 public free access to their cultural treasures, not to make money selling
310 t-shirts, mugs, posters, etc&amp;nbsp; I understand that they wish to raise
311 funds for their work, but - as I explained earlier - Bridgeman vs Corel
312 will not bankrupt museums.&amp;nbsp; After all, in the early 1980s, the movie
313 industry believed VCRs would destroy Hollywood.&amp;nbsp; Obviously, that
314 hasn't happened.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
315
316 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;In light of the Bridgeman vs Corel decision, museums
317 have decided to focus on controlling access rather than subverting the
318 concept of public domain.&amp;nbsp; This, too, has led to some rather
319 questionable practices.&amp;nbsp; Think about it for a moment - if a unique
320 work of art is in the public domain and the museum willfully disallows
321 access to the work (for reproduction purposes), aren't they guilty of
322 creating a monopoly?&amp;nbsp; And of attempting to create an illegal
323 perpetual copyright?&amp;nbsp; Just a few points to ponder, among many others.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
324 &lt;blockquote&gt;
325 &lt;HR width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
326
327 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
328
329 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;I have (very quickly) created this page to help webmasters understand
330 their rights.&amp;nbsp; I apologize if something is explained badly, or not at
331 all.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
332 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;B&gt;Please keep in mind that the all-important Bridgeman vs Corel
333 decision applies only to exact reproductions of two-dimensional works of
334 art already in the public domain.&lt;/B&gt; &lt;BR&gt;And so drawings of
335 Winnie-the-Pooh, for example, which are still under copyright, cannot be
336 reproduced on your webpage; neither can a book written in 1970, or a song
337 recorded in 1950, or painting made in 1945.&amp;nbsp; Unfortunately, copyright
338 extensions are a fact of life throughout most of the world.&amp;nbsp; In the
339 US, for example, copyright has been extended 11 times in the last 40
340 years.&amp;nbsp; However, all works prior to the 20th century are in the
341 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;
342 Check the charts&lt;/a&gt; for 20th century works.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
343 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;Remember - when in doubt, ask.&amp;nbsp; &lt;A
344 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.
345 &lt;/font&gt;
346 &lt;/P&gt;
347 &lt;P&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;And give thanks to the US District Court for the
348 Southern District of New York.&amp;nbsp; In our age of increasing mergers
349 between large, global multi-media companies and the pre-eminence of a few
350 large museums, it's possible that - one day - a handful of
351 companies/museums could control access to most of the great works of art
352 in human history.&amp;nbsp; Public domain guarantees us access to those works,
353 and without it we would be....&amp;nbsp; Well, we would be stuck at the table
354 of mediocrity, denied our right to explore the best parts of our heritage. &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
355 &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;
356 &lt;blockquote&gt;
357 &lt;hr&gt;
358 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
359 &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;
360 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;FONT size=2 face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;For now (October 2004), the Bridgeman decision
361 stands.&amp;nbsp; If anything changes, I will post it here.&lt;/FONT&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
362 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please note that
363 &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
364 copyright changes&lt;/a&gt; further extend copyright terms of 20th century works.&amp;nbsp;
365 Books, music, etc which might have been scheduled to pass into the public
366 domain are now protected for several more decades.&amp;nbsp; (Yet another
367 sell-out to the growing 'content industry'....)&amp;nbsp; If you live in
368 Europe, please research the new terms.&amp;nbsp; If the above link has
369 expired, simply type 'EU copyright law 2003' into a search engine and
370 start exploring.&amp;nbsp; Though most articles focus on digital music and
371 film, the law applies to all creative works.&amp;nbsp; It's even worse than the DMCA.&amp;nbsp;
372 Egads!&amp;nbsp; I never thought a law could be worse than the DMCA.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
373 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;Please
374 &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
375 here&lt;/a&gt; to read an interesting 'question and answer' about Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
376 Professor Ochoa's response is reasonable and apt, particularly this
377 comment: 'Where the public does not have access to the original painting,
378 the ONLY way it has to reproduce the painting itself is to reproduce a
379 reproduction of it. Unless we hold that the Bridgeman photographs can be
380 freely copied, the painting, as a practical matter, is not in the public
381 domain.'&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;In other words, unless museums are willing to allow
382 people to photograph the original work, the paintings are not truly in the
383 public domain.&amp;nbsp; I do disagree with his closing comment, in which he
384 attempts to distinguish between US copyright law and other nations.&amp;nbsp;
385 The concepts of 'fair use' and 'public domain' are recognized on an
386 international level.&amp;nbsp; Also, is a person making a slavish photographic
387 reproduction of a work of art truly the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of the photograph?&amp;nbsp;
388 This point was discussed in the Bridgeman decision.&amp;nbsp; The term &lt;i&gt;
389 copyist&lt;/i&gt; is far more appropriate, despite the amount of work involved
390 in taking the photograph.&amp;nbsp; An apt comparison is this (earlier
391 discussed with the example of Keats's poetry) - if a
392 photographer who merely reproduces a work of art is the &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt; of
393 the reproduction, then someone who copies a novel out word-for-word is
394 also its &lt;i&gt;author&lt;/i&gt;.&amp;nbsp; Clearly, this cannot be the case.&amp;nbsp; Yet
395 the amount of work required to photograph the painting is the same as the
396 work involved in copying out a book by hand.&amp;nbsp; &lt;b&gt;In other words, &lt;i&gt;
397 labor&lt;/i&gt; does not imply originality, or a creative spark.&lt;/b&gt;&amp;nbsp; You
398 can take three minutes or three days to make a reproduction.&amp;nbsp; You can
399 use a camera or Martian technology.&amp;nbsp; It doesn't matter.&amp;nbsp; You are
400 merely copying the work.&amp;nbsp; If it
401 seems as though I'm being simplistic here, rest assured that I am - and it
402 is deliberate.&amp;nbsp; This issue is very simple and analogies help reveal
403 the simplicity.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
404 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;In any case, Bridgeman vs Corel
405 was not concerned with the &lt;i&gt;processes&lt;/i&gt; of reproduction
406 since those are covered by patent law.&amp;nbsp; It was concerned with
407 copyright.&amp;nbsp; Copyright exists to reward the creative spark /
408 originality.&amp;nbsp; It does not exist to reward labor.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
409 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;You may wonder why I'm going on
410 and on about the photography angle.&amp;nbsp; It's because museums have made
411 it their new argument for copyright protection and against Bridgeman.&amp;nbsp;
412 They claim the court did not fully understand or appreciate the labor
413 involved in making photographic reproductions.&amp;nbsp; But they are being
414 disingenuous, as my above paragraph demonstrates.&amp;nbsp; Also, Judge Kaplan
415 most assuredly considered the labor involved.&amp;nbsp; No one is denying that
416 photographers labor to create the reproduction.&amp;nbsp; But why should that
417 work be used to create a perpetual copyright for something in the public
418 domain?!&amp;nbsp; Museums are mute on that point.&amp;nbsp; The photographers are
419 paid for their labor.&amp;nbsp; The museums deny the public access to the
420 works and therefore control the 'licensing' of the best reproductions.&amp;nbsp;
421 They are paid for the licenses.&amp;nbsp; Who suffers in this situation?&amp;nbsp;
422 The public!&amp;nbsp; By law, we should be able to go to a museum and demand
423 access to a painting in the public domain so we can take photographs.&amp;nbsp;
424 But museums won't let us!&amp;nbsp; I know this because I've tried it.&amp;nbsp;
425 Museums simply don't want competition for their 'officially-licensed'
426 merchandise.&amp;nbsp; It's all about profit, - if they were concerned with
427 'artistic integrity', they would allow the public right of access or
428 provide an approved, high-quality reproduction to anyone who asked.&amp;nbsp;
429 Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen....&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
430 &lt;P align=left&gt;&lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;If the concept of public domain
431 is to have any meaning at all, then exact photographic reproductions
432 cannot be given copyright.&amp;nbsp; It's a matter of principle - and common
433 sense - and public interest.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
434 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
435 &lt;font face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;
436 &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,
437 Protecting the Public Domain&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;The best source
438 on the internet.&amp;nbsp; It contains information on the disastrous Jan 2003 Eldred
439 ruling by the US Supreme Court.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
440 &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;
441 &lt;font size=&quot;2&quot; face=&quot;Arial&quot;&gt;to EnglishHistory.net&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
442 &lt;/td&gt;
443 &lt;td width=&quot;13%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;/td&gt;
444 &lt;/tr&gt;
445&lt;/table&gt;
446
447
448
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451</Content>
452</Section>
453</Archive>
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