Re: Web Copyright

John Malcolm (images@airtime.co.uk)
Wed, 21 Feb 96 06:40:31 GMT

Last night I received an e-mail from Argentina requesting permission to use
a pinhole image of mine on a Home Page. I was flattered. Then as I thought
about it, my ego was swamped by incredulity as the nature of this beast we
communicate on became tangible. Here was a single image residing on a
minority interest home page that had been picked up by a non-English
speaking viewer in Latin America. Mind boggling.

Since there seems to be consensus on this list that *it is a good thing* to
share images, it also seems to me that we have even less control of them
than hard copy publishing methods. Is it time to rethink the notion of
creative ownership? If it can't be effectively policed globally, does it
have meaning? This person had the courtesy to contact me but how many others
could have used the image without acknowledgement?

I am sure this sort of thing has been aired on the list before. Being a
relative newcomer could someone point me to an Archive/Month. (Its not that
I'm lazy, its just that the compulsive reading that comes down-line each day
already takes up all my spare time)

For those who are interested, the pinhole pic concerned can be viewed on
Byron Bignalls Pinhole Home Page at

http://www1.goodmedia.com/bignell/jmalcolm.html

John Malcolm