Copyright Images - Common Sense ?

[GhostShip]

An exciting move I hope towards a solution for images that are in the public domain

http://www.pdnonline.com/pdn/newswire/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002074844

The U.S. Copyright Office has proposed a law that would make it easier for people to reuse these orphan works – reprinting historic photos in textbooks, for example – without fear of a hefty lawsuit.
Some photographer groups, however, see this as a nightmare proposal that will blast a huge hole in copyright law.

The copyright office began investigating the problem of orphan works. It released a 127-page report on the topic last month. The report details many ways the current law seems to be stifling creativity. Filmmakers might be wary of adapting an obscure novel if they are unsure of its copyright status. Museums are reluctant to publish books of their own collections if they aren't able to reach a work's creator. Old-time radio enthusiasts worry about posting old recordings online.

Under the current law, someone can be sued for damages if they use a copyrighted work without a license, even if they tried first to secure permission and couldn't located the copyright holder.

The copyright office's proposal would change the Copyright Act so when someone sees a work they want to reuse and is unable to find the owner – for example, a photograph published without a credit – they could use it anyway without fear of hefty damages. They only have to conduct a "good faith, reasonably diligent search" for the owner. If the owner comes forward later, the infringer only needs to pay "reasonable compensation" and stop using the work in many cases

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The opponents of this report seem not to be giving much in the way of facts to back their already weak case, lets hope goodwill and common sense prevail and all may benefit from a relaxed and earnest attempt to allow people to use images and pay for them where possble.

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hmmmm im a little confused here. Surely if you owned the copyright to something and were interested in recieving payment for its use or reproduction etc, would you not make it your business to be easy to contact? As far as im concerned if you arent contactable how can you expect to be contacted and paid?