Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

I don't bother with it myself, as my photos are not for sale and are given only to a select few.
But if you have a copyright date embedded in your camera's info, or in any of the software you use to PP your photos, you need to change it 2017, if you have not already done so.

Dr.Nikon Loc: Honolulu Hawaii

Yep ...

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

My camera does that automatically!

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

Great! What about your PP software?

Like I said, for myself, I don't bother, if I need a date, I totally rely on the date in the exif data.
The date in the exif data is set automatically by my camera as well.
For copyright information, I have to manually enter the copyright sign, the year and my name.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Only if you are working on new photos. If you choose to add a copyright date to a photo (under US copyright, the addition of which is optional), it must be the original date. Do NOT allow your software to add a 2017 copyright date to an earlier image.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

It shows up already updated in any software program (I don't have to do a thing)!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Not being a copyright lawyer, I could easily be off base
but I would think that if you edit a photo it becomes a derivative work and copyrightable as of the date of the edit.
Would appreciate some knowledgeable commentary.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Good reading for all:

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ14.pdf

Note in particular:

1. "Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to pre- pare, or to authorize someone else to create, an adaptation of that work."

2. "The copyright in a derivative work covers only the additions, changes, or other new material appearing for the first time in the work."

As an interesting side note, one does not need to be a law school graduate, a licensed attorney or a member of the bar to offer an educated opinion or even to practice law in some courts. Abraham Lincoln was a licensed attorney and a member of the Illinois Bar, even though he NEVER attended law school. He had less than twelve months of formal education!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Thanks for the link.



Interesting. So if your camera produces a raw file with copyright information, and you consequently postprocess that file, then you have two copyrights? One for the original raw file and one for the differences expressed in the postprocessed image?

Or does "appearing for the first time" mean publication?

I suppose if an image is never published there would be no danger of copyright infringement.

Not bring skilled in the law, all the above is purely speculation on my part.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Good point. In the past, my eyes (and mind) have "floated over" the concept of publication. Unfortunately the Copyright Law (USC Title 17) seems to minimize the importance of photographic images and provides less detail to their creation and coverage than other works such as literary or musical works - or even sculptures. One question that comes to mind is this. When does the author of a work consider it to have been "created?" If I write a book and it goes to the publisher, and, at the last second, decide to add a chapter to the book, was it created when I sent it to the publisher or after I have "signed off" on the printed copy? Was each chapter created separately (of course not)? If I press the shutter release on my camera, is the image created when the shutter closes or when I save the post processed RAW file as a TIF? And what happens when I look at it the next day and realize that I have to edit out a power line? Remember, nobody even knows the image exists except me. What if I have saved the file every 1/2 hour as a separate file. Is each a derivative of the last? How many copyrights can I have? And, if we're not confused enough already, look below:

https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq-definitions.html

https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/definitions.html

https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/bclt_IPSC2010_Gerhardt(2).pdf

Wow! 34 years, 9 months and 25 days. I'd have never made it this far if I was practicing law like my dad wanted me to! Pour me three fingers of Single Malt!

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Since I'm now 77 and a few months, does that entitle me to 6 fingers of single malt?

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Are you referring to age?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Well, I never made it to that height (in inches, anyway)

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Six fingers is OK, but why not just fill up the glass?