Copyright and Photography

[Rheghead]

Can anyone tell me what the law is relating to copyright and photography please?

1. How old does a photo need to be to be exempt from copyright?

2. Can someone include a small portion of another person's image into your own without needing permission like in collages etc.

3. Can I release an image (without permission) which belongs to another for public viewing if I deem it in the Public interest?

4. Can I publish photos of celebrities/private persons/public buildings etc without relevent permission.

5. Can I heavily manipulate somebody else's image in Photoshop and claim it for my own?

Any other quirky twists of copyright law would be most appreciated.

If you definitely know the answers, please let me know, thanks in advance.:D

[North Light]

Rheghead,

As a first source of info download the document at this link, will answer most of your questions.

http://www.sirimo.co.uk/ukpr.php/2004/11/19/uk_photographers_rights_guide

[sprint95m]

Can anyone tell me what the law is relating to copyright and photography please?

1. How old does a photo need to be to be exempt from copyright?

2. Can someone include a small portion of another person's image into your own without needing permission like in collages etc.

3. Can I release an image (without permission) which belongs to another for public viewing if I deem it in the Public interest?

4. Can I publish photos of celebrities/private persons/public buildings etc without relevent permission.

5. Can I heavily manipulate somebody else's image in Photoshop and claim it for my own?

Any other quirky twists of copyright law would be most appreciated.

If you definitely know the answers, please let me know, thanks in advance.:D
No. 1.............70 years after death of copyright owner. (Generally the copyright owner is the photographer but there are many exceptions.)
No. 2...........NO
No. 5...........NO


For No.3, it will be on a case by case basis?
In the case of question 4, if you took the photographs from a public place you should be OK. There are possible exceptions but these are moving away from copyright into other forms of law (currently the media attention is on the potential terrorist threat).



There is a Government consultation by the Intellectual Property Office currently under way looking into copyright laws in the UK. On page 4 of this week's British Journal of Photography (14/1/2009) there is a report.
The review is in four sections, these being.....
Access to work
Incentivising investment and creativity
Recognising creative input
Authenticating work