Respecting Copyright What is copyright, and why do we want to own copyright in our own work? In the simplest terms, it is the right to protect our images from being copied. By Brian Boyle, MPA, SPA, FPPO
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without their permission and found objects to create their art. Major record labels are now suing more individuals (and winning) for “file sharing”. An American student was found guilty of downloading and sharing about a dozen they will never get caught breaking those laws. music tracks and now owes the label over $200,000.00! It has become common to hear of photographers Record labels are now looking at photographers who finding their images on somebody else’s website, or in a provide DVDs to their wedding or portrait clients with a magazine with either no credit line or somebody else’s name under it. Often, an invoice for double the usual fee for sound track of a favourite piece of music. It doesn’t make any difference who owns the music a specific usage can be sent and will be paid. CD or track – putting it in a compilation with something Many times, there could be a suit for usage, else is copyright infringement, unless you have bought damages and costs, and many times, nothing happens because the photographer cannot afford the legal costs if he a license to do so. Talk to other members – you will find or she loses. Often in Canada, photographers find that they that a number of them are buying licenses for high quality tracks of good music, probably nothing that you will do not indeed own copyright because they haven’t used a recognise as current, but music that will fit your needs. contract assigning copyright to themselves. Many people brag about the software they One of the quirks of the Canadian Copyright Act downloaded from pirate sites. Be aware that these too is that photographers are the exception to the rule: all are illegal. You could be charged for having it on your Canadian creators automatically own copyright in their computer. What I am trying to get across here is that if work except photographers, who may only do so through we want people to respect our copyright we had best be respecting their’s. the use of a contract. As I write this, Bill C-11, (The Copyright Recently in the news, we Modernization Act) has been to the Senate Committee for have been hearing more presentations and is now in review by the Committee. about individuals being Once the Bill has been passed by the Senate and received charged with copyright Royal Assent, an implementation date will be set by the infringement. So called “Appropriation Artists” have Government for the Bill to take effect. A future article will been using photographs and explain the effect of the changes for photographers. Brian Boyle, MPA, SPA, FPPO Photo by: Walt Malone MPA, artwork created by others e know that the world wide web is like the wild west – there are lots of laws which can be difficult to enforce, and lots of people willing to take the chance that
SPA F/MPPA FSWP
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ue veut dire droit d’auteur, et pourquoi fautil que le droit d’auteur sur nos propres travaux nous appartienne? En terme plus simple, c’est le droit d’empêcher la copie de vos images. Nous savons tous que sur l’internet c’est encore un terrain sauvage genre Wild West – il ya beaucoup de lois qui sont difficiles à appliquer, et beaucoup de gens qui sont prêts à prendre la chance de ne pas ce faire prendre à enfreindre ces lois. Nous entendons souvent que des photographes
retrouvent leurs images sur le site de quelqu’un d’autre, ou dans un magazine sans crédit ou pire encore sous le nom d’une autre personne. Vous pouvez souvent, envoyer une facture doublant votre tarif habituelle pour cet usage spécifique et non autorisé, ces factures sont payées, généralement. Plusieurs fois, il peut y avoir poursuit pour mauvaise utilisation, dommages et intérêts, mais ça n’aboutit pas puisque le photographe ne peut pas se permettre les frais légaux.
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