Photo Release for a Horse (of course) Reply

Photo releases are a useful tool for obtaining permission to photograph models (of all types and species) and to use the photos of the model for specific purposes.  While we may all think of beautiful people as models, horses and other animals can be models too.  A photo release may be needed from a horse’s owner to take and use photographs of a horse for specific purposes including publication, printing, selling, distribution and commercial use.

I recently read that the owner of horse-photobomber (featured in the prize winning photograph above) has demanded some of the prize money won by the folks who took the photograph and entered it into a contest.  While the photobombing probably wasn’t planned, obtaining a photo release before taking, using or entering the photograph in the contest would likely have avoided the dispute that has developed over the prize money.  The horse’s “smile” does add to the photograph.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also: earlier posts on photo releases at https://iplegalfreebies.wordpress.com/category/photo-releases; a news article on the dispute: Photobomb Horse Owner Demands Share of £2000 Selfie-Prize at www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/02/owner-photobomb-horse-demands-share-2000-selfie-prize?CMP=fb_gu; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

When Monkeys Sing & Pigs Fly (Copyright news update) 1

monkey selfie is available on wikipedia.org

It’s been quite a week for U.S. Copyright law!  This week a judge in California ruled that the popular (and commercially valuable) song “Happy Birthday to You” is not protected by copyright.  If the judge’s ruling stands the Happy Birthday song will become part of the public domain.

Also in California, a lawsuit was filed by PETA claiming that the copyright of photographs taken by a monkey (monkey selfies) should belong to the monkey. Presumably PETA should be allowed to collect and administer royalties from the photos on the monkey’s behalf.

It will be interesting to follow this monkey’s business… and these lawsuits.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also, another post on the monkey selfies at http://wp.me/p10nNq-b5; more posts on copyright law at https://iplegalfreebies.wordpress.com/category/c-o-p-y-r-i-g-h-t; the “Happy Birthday Case” is Marya v. Warner/Chappell available at https://www.unitedstatescourts.org/federal/cacd/564772/244-0.html; The Washington Post article titled, “Monkey wants copyright and cash from ‘monkey selfies,’ PETA lawsuit says” by J. Moyer at http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/09/23/monkey-wants-copyright-and-cash-from-monkey-selfies-peta-lawsuit-says/; New York Times article titled, “’Happy Birthday’ Copyright Invalidated by Judge” by B. Sisario at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/23/business/media/happy-birthday-copyright-invalidated-by-judge.html; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

Avalanche of photos uploaded in a 24-hour period Reply

Seeing the printouts of photos uploaded to Flicker over a 24-hour period is a sobering visual of the amount of content uploaded and shared in one day (on just one of many online photo-sharing websites).  Mountains of photographs… from floor to ceiling… as part of an installation by Erik Kessels titled, “24hours in Photos.”

http://www.kesselskramer.com/exhibitions/24-hrs-of-photos and http://www.images.ch/2014/en/festival-en/program/artists/erik-kessels-3.  The photographs included in this second link are particularly amazing, because, the instillation appears to be in a church and echoes a “devotion” to online photo-sharing which may be an almost, automatic reflex for many folks.  Personally, I find the sheer volume of content that folks share online staggering (often without even considering the rights that may be given away by merely using and posting the photos to an online photo-sharing website or social media site).

Before sharing photos online, it’s always a good idea to read the Terms of Use of the website so that you are aware of how your photos may be used by other folks after you post them.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also: Other blog posts on Terms of Use for websites and social media at https://iplegalfreebies.wordpress.com/category/website-terms-of-use/.

Inheriting Copyright – Who is Vivian Maier’s closest living relative? Reply

Copyright can be inherited and passed onto heirs just like other assets and property.  For example, the copyright in books, plays, music, photographs, speeches and other original, copyrighted and copyrightable materials may be bequeathed by will or pass at the death of the copyright owner as personal property by the applicable laws of intestate succession.   (Copyright does extend beyond the death of the author, photographer, playwright or creator of the work for a limited term – often life of the author plus 70 years).

As per a recent article in The New York Times, a court battle over the copyright to the recently discovered photographs taken by the deceased photographer Vivian Maier has begun.  Evidently, the young entrepreneur who has begun promoting, printing, displaying and using Vivian Maier’s photographs (after purchasing boxes of Vivian Maier’s negatives at auction) may not have tracked down, gotten permission from and paid the appropriate heir/s of Vivian Maier.  Who is Vivian Maier’s closest living relative?  This question will be key to the litigation.

This scenario of determining who the closest living relative is to a deceased creator (whose creative work was secret or unknown during their lifetime) may become more common now that the internet can be used as a fast and easy way to disseminate creative content and generate an online following and market for previously unknown works.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also: The New York Times article titled, The Heir’s Not Apparent, by Randy Kennedy on 9/6/2014; U.S. Copyright Office Circular 12 titled, Recordation of Transfers and other Documents at http://copyright.gov/circs/circ12.pdf; U.S. Copyright Office Circular 15a titled, Duration of Copyright at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ15a.pdf; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

Using my photo? Did I inadvertently give rights away by posting it online? Reply

It’s so easy and fun to share photographs online that folks often give away rights to their photographs without even realizing it.  HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN?  The terms, conditions and licenses that the photographer agrees to when posting a photograph to various social media and photo-sharing websites often grant other folks broad rights to use posted photographs.  Keep in mind that every social media and photo-sharing website has different terms, conditions and licenses that are agreed to automatically simply by USING the website and POSTING photographs and other content.  These terms, conditions and licenses are modified and updated frequently.

Here is an interesting and fairly haunting example:  A photograph of a teenager was taken by her youth counselor and posted to his to Flickr account under a broad Creative Commons license that allowed others to use his work in any way, including for commercial purposes, if they credited the photographer. (See the inserted photo).  A slightly edited version of the photograph ended up in an advertising campaign for Virgin Mobil Australia. A lawsuit followed.

THE TAKE AWAY: Read the terms, conditions and licenses that you are agreeing to when using and posting photographs and other content to social media and photo-sharing websites.  Most popular social media and photo-sharing websites, including FACEBOOK, PINTEREST and TWITTER have fairly broad terms, conditions and licenses that change frequently.  Websites post their terms, usually at the bottom of the webpage. These same terms that often give other folks broad rights to use posted content,  also contain the steps to follow if your photographs or other content are being used without your permission on the site and you want to request that it be taken down.

This post was inspired by my friend Mel and a host of social media comments about a photograph that ended up on a series of KEEP CALM shirts.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also: Articles about the Virgin Mobil example above from the Sydney Morning Herald and The New York Times; photo of a Virgin Mobil Ad; Flickr’s Creative Commons licenses at https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/; other blog posts on photo copyright at https://iplegalfreebies.wordpress.com/category/copyright-photos; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

US Copyright Fees increase tomorrow (5/1/14) 2

The US Copyright Office fees are set to increase tomorrow on May 1, 2014.  This increase includes some changes to the $35 fee for a basic copyright registration.  Currently, filing an online copyright registration for “an original work of authorship” via the US Copyright Office’s electronic filing system costs $35.  As of May 1, 2014 this basic copyright registration will be divided into two new categories. Some basic copyright registrations will still cost $35 and some will cost $55.  As of tomorrow, the $35 registration fee will be limited to apply only to works which have: a “single author, same claimant, [consist of] one work, not [a work] for hire.”

• Here is a link to The US Copyright Office Fees which go into effect May 1, 2014: www.copyright.gov/fls/sl04_2014.pdf
• For comparison, here is a link to the current US Copyright Office Fees:  www.copyright.gov/docs/fees.html

(Bargain hunters may want to take advantage of the lower fees today!)

image from US Copyright Office Website

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

For more information see, the US Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov, earlier blog posts on the topic of “copyright” at www.iplegalfreebies.wordpress.com/category/c-o-p-y-r-i-g-h-t/ ; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

 

Vivian Maier- Publishing a newly discovered photo treasure-trove 2

Finding Vivian Maier, is a fascinating, documentary film about a talented street photographer who kept her photographs secret… and was recently discovered when a young entrepreneur purchased boxes of her negatives and undeveloped film on a hunch at auction. This situation raises an interesting copyright scenario; because, Vivian Maier took her photographs from the mid-1950’s-1990’s but they are only now being “published” and made available to the public for viewing, sale and distribution. The “publication” of a work is an element in copyright registration that can often seem mysterious for a first-time copyright registrant. Let’s take a look at the publication element in US copyright registration by using Vivian Maier’s newly discovered photographs as an example.

Here is background on Vivian Maier and her photographs: “Now considered one of the 20th century’s greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier spent her life as a nanny, secretly taking over 100,000 photographs. Hidden during her lifetime, Maier’s work was discovered by pure chance when amateur historian John Maloof ended up with a stash of her photo [negatives] at an auction. Fascinated, he searched for more—and for the story behind the woman. Now, this unsung art- its strange and riveting life and work are revealed through never-before-seen photographs, films and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.”   [the synopsis of the film, Finding Vivian Maier, as posted on the IFC website at http://www.ifccenter.com/films/finding-vivian-maier/] [the film gets 2 thumbs up].

What is copyright publication?
Publication has a technical meaning in copyright law. According to the statute, “Publication is the distribution of copies or phonorecords of a work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending. The offering to distribute copies or phonorecords to a group of persons for purposes of further distribution, public performance, or public display constitutes publication. A public performance or display of a work does not of itself constitute publication.” Generally, publication occurs on the date on which copies of the work are first distributed to the public. [Quoted from the US Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-definitions.html]

Why is the publication date of a copyrighted work important?  Because, the publication date of a work may impact the duration of copyright protection vested in a work. This is especially true for works, like many of Vivian Maier’s photographs, which were created before January 1, 1978 but only recently published. Here are details on how long copyright protection endures:

• Copyright Protection for Works Originally Created on or after January 1, 1978.  A work that was created (fixed in tangible form for the first time) on or after January 1, 1978, is automatically protected from the moment of its creation and is ordinarily given a term enduring for the author’s life plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death. In the case of “a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire,” the term lasts for 70 years after the last surviving author’s death. For works made for hire, and for anonymous and pseudonymous works (unless the author’s identity is revealed in Copyright Office records),the duration of copyright will be 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter. [Excerpt from US Copyright Office, Circular 1 at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf]

• Copyright Protection for Works Originally Created Before January 1, 1978, But Not Published or Registered by That Date. These works have been automatically brought under the statute and are now given federal copyright protection. The duration of copyright in these works is generally computed in the same way as for works created on or after January 1, 1978: the life­plus­70 or 95/120­year terms apply to them as well. (Many of Vivian Maier’s newly discovered and published works likely fall into this category).  [Excerpt from US Copyright Office, Circular 1 at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf]

• Copyright Protection for Works Originally Created and Published or Registered before January 1, 1978.  There is quite a bit of variation in copyright terms vested in works created and published before January 1, 1978. The longest term of copyright protection for these works was for 95 years [See page 6 of US Copyright Office, Circular 1 at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf]

For Vivian Maier’s newly discovered and published works, they will likely benefit from a longer term of copyright protection; since, they have recently been published some twenty to sixty years after they were taken.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also: Information about Vivian Maier at http://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier/; the US Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-definitions.html; US Copyright Circular 1: Copyright Basics at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf and http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf#page=3; show times for seeing Finding Vivian Maier at the IFC in NYC at http://www.ifccenter.com/films/finding-vivian-maier/; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

Benefits of US Copyright Registration Reply

Copyright vests automatically in an original work once it is ‘fixed’ in a tangible form.  While copyright vests automatically, it can also be advantageous to register an original work for copyright registration with the US Copyright Office.  Registering a work with the US Copyright Office is not a requirement but it can be beneficial for the following reasons:

• Registration with the US Copyright Office establishes a public record of the basic facts including ownership of an original work.
• Before an lawsuit may be filed against someone infringing your work, registration is necessary with the US Copyright Office for works of US origin.
• If registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions.  Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.
• If registration is made within 5 years of publication of the work, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.
• Registration with the US Copyright Office allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the US Customs Service for protection against importation of infringing copies.

It is possible to file for US Copyright Registration at anytime within the life of the copyrighted work.  Currently, it only costs $35 to file an application with the US Copyright Office for registration.

The term of copyright protection for a work created on or after January 1, 1978 is for the life of the author plus 70 years (or if a work is made for hire the term of copyright protection is 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from the date of creation, whichever expires first.)

Wishing all of you reading this post a Happy New Year!   Starting off the new year with a reminder that all your original creative content that is written down, drawn, painted, recorded, sculpted or otherwise fixed… is automatically vested with copyright feels auspicious.  As detailed above, taking the extra step to register your work with the US Copyright Office can be beneficial.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

For more information see, Circular 1, Copyright Basics; Circular 15A, Duration of Copyright. and all the information circulars and fact sheets available at the US Copyright Office website: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/; and also an earlier post “Copyright Protection Only Costs $35“; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

Copyright in photographs… a bundle of exclusive rights Reply

Photographs are one type of “original works of authorship” that copyright law protects. Copyright protection gives the authors or owners of a copyrighted photograph the exclusive rights to do and to authorize others to do the following:

• TO REPRODUCE the copyrighted photograph;
• TO PREPARE DERIVATIVE WORKS based upon the copyrighted photograph;
• TO DISTRIBUTE COPIES of the copyrighted photograph to the public by SALE or OTHER TRANSFER of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending;
• TO DISPLAY the copyrighted photograph publicly;
• TO PERFORM the copyrighted work publicly. (Performance may be less applicable to photographs; although, in today’s digital age it could be possible and worth mentioning).

These exclusive rights in copyrighted works, including photographs, are outlined in Section 106 of the US Copyright Act. Violating any of the rights vested in the owner of a copyrighted photograph is illegal. However, it is important to note that there are some exceptions and limitations to these rights. One major limitation is the doctrine of “fair use.”

While copyright exists in any original photograph (and any original work) from the time the work is created in a fixed form, registering the photograph with the US Copyright Office has additional advantages including: 1) establishing a public record of the copyright; and 2) assisting with any infringement actions that may arise. (Keep in mind that applying for Copyright Registration is not expensive – Copyright registration only costs $35).

For more information on using someones photograph on your blog or website click here to see another post on the topic.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com

See also, the US Copyright Act at http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html; the US Copyright Circular 1 on Copyright basics at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf; the US Copyright Office Website at www.copyright.gov; other blog posts on photography copyright; other blog posts on copyright registration of original works; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

Sojourner Truth…. copyright owner (among other heroic acts) Reply

Sojourner Truth registered her historic image “I sell the shadow to support the substance” with the US Copyright Office in 1864.   To me, it’s remarkable that in addition to Sojourner Truth’s famed work as an African-American abolitionist and advocate for women’s rights… she was also a copyright owner.

Back in 1864 when Sojourner Truth registered her image with the US Copyright Office, the copyright laws were different than they are today… and claiming copyright protection involved more formalities.  However, the basic principles of copyright protection were the same: controlling the copying, printing, reprinting and publishing of a registered work.  Evidently, Sojourner Truth sold copies of her image to raise money for the abolitionist movement. (ie a good motivation to control the use, copying, printing and reprinting of the image with copyright registration).

While I have always held Sojourner Truth in high regard for her historic advocacy work, I’m adding copyright owner to the list of her heroic acts.

(The copyright notice on Sojourner Truth’s historic image caught my eye while visiting a recent exhibition of Civil War Photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

See also, www.nps.gov/wori/historyculture/sojourner-truth.htm; US Copyright Act of 1790 at www.copyright.gov/history/1790act; www.loc.gov/pictures/item/98501244/; @iplegalfreebies and www.kasterlegal.com.

BY: Vanessa Kaster, Esq., LL.M.

vk@kasterlegal.com