Bill2 Loc: Littleton, CO

My father took many photos of the local area where he lived, during the mid-thirties. I want to reprocess them and donate them to the local history museum.

I do, however, want to do something to them, watermark or whatever, that will establish the photos as his.

I've never worried about a photo having the proper credit, so at this point, I have no good ideas.

CaptainC Loc: Colorado, south of Denver

Are you going to scan them to digital files or are you going to donate the prints?

PhotoArtsLA Loc: Boynton Beach

The simplest thing to do is to Copyright the images. You can scan them, then make a high quality contact sheet on a good inkjet printer, and then, using Form TX, simply copyright all the images at once.

Then, when the images are delivered to anyone, you can simply add a limited rights of use of copyrighted work, with the caveat any display or publication must include the author (photographer's) name.

You can copyright the works under more than one name, such as your father and yourself. This gives you actual recourse in the event the images are malappropriated.

Apart from copyright, all other methods will not hold water in court.

I spent just over two years on a copyright case (I won) and have learned the ropes the hard way.

Richard Brown

Bill2 Loc: Littleton, CO

Thanks for the question and copyright suggestion.I had planned to dress up the photos from his original negs and make the best matte prints I could. These would go to the museum. Copyright, considering that I think the folks at the museum are honorable and carefull about their preservation methods, may be overkill in this case, but certainly one good way to preserve his work.It had not occurred to me.

Watermarking seemed to be something that most anyone could patch over and negate.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Rick, what is form TX?

Tom

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formtx.pdf

Specifically for photos. http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl107.html

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Thanks Jerry. Is this the one where if you send in a CD, that every photo on the disk is covered even if the disk is absolutely full? Or is this just for individual photos?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

From a quick reading, as long as everything is by the same photographer, they would all be covered.

tainkc Loc: Kansas City

Thanks.