Polaroid Cameras I brochure Addendum Copyright law, Discussion questions on ethics

Addendum

Copyright law

If you take a picture with your camera, you own it. You can copyright it, print it, sell it and freely modify it. If you use someone else’s copyrighted image, from the internet for example, you lose some of these rights. Unless you obtain permission of the original photographer or the owner of the photograph, you may have no rights to use that photo or any part of it in any commercial way.

Under the principle of “Fair Use,” you are generally allowed to use copyrighted work for personal, non-commercial or educational purposes. You also may be able to use portions of a copyrighted work it your use constitutes a “transformative” use, such as commentary or parody. In general, as long as you are not selling the resulting product, or using it commercially, you can freely use the copyrighted works of others in your work. You may be able to use a work if you use a small portion and have no effect on the commercial market or potential use of the work.

Here are some interesting issues with digital photography, good for thought and discussion.

Discussion questions on ethics:

You see a news photo in a magazine: Is it an accurate depiction of the truth?

Are advertising pictures different? Can/should they be manipulated?

What about political ads: Is it ok to remove wrinkles and whiten the teeth of a politician?

What about taking undesirable people out of political ads, or adding people of diversity?

Are digital photos legal as evidence?

Can you tell if a photo has been digitally manipulated? Should it be identified as such?

Discussion questions on copyrights:

Should you get permission to alter an image?

Who owns an image that combines several copyrighted images?

Will you get caught? - Does it matter?

What is in the public domain?

When should you put © notices on your photos?

Is it possible to enforce copyright laws?

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