What is a Copyright?
Will I own the copyright to my photos?
I have been asked this question time and time again and the answer is No, you won’t. Rose Lee Boudoir owns all copyrights to all images taken at your session. Then I get asked well, how will I print my images? The answer to that is, I will give to you a print release form to do just that. Copyright release and Print releases are two totally different forms all together. Below is a great explanation of what a copyright is and why you won’t own the copyrights to your images from your session.
What is Copyright?
“Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.” The owner of copyright in a work has the exclusive right to make copies, to prepare derivative works, to sell or distribute copies, and to display the work publicly. Anyone else wishing to use the work in these ways must have the permission of the author or someone who has derived rights through the author.”
Copyright Protection is Automatic.
“Under the present copyright law which became effective January 1, 1978, a work is automatically protected by copyright when it is created. A work is created when it is “fixed” in a copy or phone-record for the first time. Neither registration in the Copyright Office nor publication is required to secure copyright under the present law.”
The Copyright Notice.
“For works first published on and after March 1, 1989, use of the copyright notice is optional though highly recommended. Before March 1, 1989, the use of the notice was mandatory on all published works, and any work first published before that date must bear a notice or risk loss of copyright protection.”
With that being said nothing of mine should EVER be altered, stolen, claimed as your own, or redistributed without my written consent. Info credit goes to: http://www.artistresource.org/copyrite.htm