Tweet
I have my mom and dad's wedding photo album, and Mom requested a copy of the main photo of her and Dad. Now, they were married in 1962, and I looked up the photographer online, and it appears he died in 2009. I'm not sure the studio even exists anymore. I've also looked up copyright laws, and they don't say what I'd be allowed to do. I know there are a couple of people who run photo labs here. What are my options? Thank you.
-
I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem.
My LiveJournal
A page we can all agree with! -
Here is a good site with info :
http://photosecrets.com/copyright
It says photography copyright is life of the copyright holder plus 70 years.
You would need to get permission from the heirs to have the photo professionally copied.There's no such thing as a stupid question... just stupid people. -
Aye. When in doubt, assume that any given image is copyrighted, and act accordingly.
The relatives may not care, but the best thing to do is to get that in writing (even an email might suffice, but IANAL...) before making copies of anything that you know was professionally done.
Take a good look at the site It's me linked -- it's possible that work for hire, such as this one, might automatically include a provision that the recipient is allowed to make copies for personal use. More importantly, the photos pre-date the DMCA significantly."For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
"The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
"Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
"There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
"Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
"Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
"Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - meComment
-
I deal with this all the time at my job. My company's policy is that if the photographer is dead and the company is out of business .... meh, we don't sweat the small stuff. Also, as someone above mentioned, you're using this for personal use - one time, one off (as our friends across the pond say). I wouldn't worry about it - unless, of course, the photographer was someone famous, like Ansel Adams or someone whose heirs are still making money off their work. Hope this helps!Comment
-
What would be nice would be if "for hire" professional photographers offered a "full rights" package (i.e. including sale of the copyright), and/or had a stamp made up to stamp the back of the photograph "Copyright XYZ Photography Inc. Photo taken (blanks to fill in), may be reproduced for non-commercial use after 20 years". Wouldn't lose them much (if anything) - after all, how many people are going to come back 20 years later and order more copies of their wedding photos?Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.Comment
Comment