Digital BW, The Print

Can anyone write copyright on a image they obtain, or must one apply to a 
goverment agency for a copyright???

STEVE SUSSMAN


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: susspeople@... [mailto:susspeople@aol.com] 
> Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2003 3:21 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Copyright
> 
> 
> Can anyone write copyright on a image they obtain,

Steve,

Only on works of art you create yourself or if you have purchased the
copyright from the original creator.

> or must 
> one apply to a 
> goverment agency for a copyright???

No. All original art is protected by copyright. However, placing a copyright
notice on your work will make an infringement much more easy to defend. In
fact without the notice it may not be defensible at all but I am no expert.
The notice should be on the print but in such a way as it does not show when
the work is displayed. I prefer the back of the print and/or mount myself.

Martin Wesley
www.carolynfrayn.com/Guests/MartinWesley/pages/MW_01.html
www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html

susspeople@... writes:

> Can anyone write copyright on a image they obtain, or must one apply to a
> goverment agency for a copyright???

Your work is automatically protected by copyright as soon as it is
created; it's inherent in the act of creating something, there is
nothing you need to do to produce it.

However, in some countries, it's a lot easier to recover damages for
infringement if you file a copy of your work with some central authority
for registration purposes.  In the U.S., you do this by registering your
copyright and providing two copies for the Library of Congress.  It
costs about $30.