The way I see it (and the way it is in Québec, Canada), anything produced on
belahf on an employer, museum or otherwise, is automatically copyrighted to
the employer unless stated otherwise in an employment contract.  As a
volunteer has no such employment contract, it seems to me he/she would have no
case at all.

Hervé Gagnon, Ph.D.
Director-curator
Colby-Curtis Museum
Stanstead (Québec)
Canada

[log in to unmask] a écrit:

> I encountered a situation recently which I am not sure is usual or unusual
> practice.  A volunteer at an institution assembled material including a
> list of objects and photographs of those objects and compiled them into a
> comprehensive reference.  He then copyrighted the reference in his own
> name.  Some photographs are public domain, some from private sources and
> some in the institution's collection.  The volunteer maintains a web site
> in the institution's name but lists himself as the contact for copyright
> permission.
>
> Is this common practice?  Are there legal and ethical conflicts?
>
> Wayne Hart, Executive Director
> Museum of Valor