On Sun, 21 Apr 1996 09:25:32 -0400  Margaret Curzon Welch wrote:
>Yes, another query on copyright.  I have not been able to find in the
>"archives" any references to museums applying for formal copyright
>registration for photographs or scans reproducing public domain
images or
>images to which they hold copyright.  Although registration is not
>required as a condition of copyright protection, it can bring certain
>advantages when it comes to enforcing protection of these
photographic
>reproductions.  Are most museums content with a copyright notice on
WWW
>images and postcards, for example, without paying the copyright fee
and
>handling the paperwork?  Do the rights and reproductions departments
>have policies on this issue?  Please feel free to contact me
off-list.--
>Margaret Welch, College of Library and Information Services, U. of
MD,
>College Park [log in to unmask]
>
Others (American rights & reproductions people) will, I hope, answer
you and I'm curious to read their responses.  Just thought I would
point out that your question pertains *only* to the U.S.  In Israel,
for example, there is no copyright registration procedure at all.
Copyright is automatic and inherent, as in all Berne Convention
signator countries (the U.S. included, now). We assume copyright on
all of the photographs we create of works in our collections, whether
in public domain or not.  On the other hand,if the work is not in the
public domain, we require clients to clear both the artist's copyright
and our own. I understand the remaining advantage to registering
copyright and clearly marking it, in the U.S., is that no one can
sustain a claim for innocent infringment (and therefore there is an
increased likelihood of obtaining damages in an infringement suit.)
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name: amalyah keshet
director, visual resources, the israel museum, jerusalem
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
date: 04/21/96

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