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STILL
IMAGES
TOP MYTHS
If there is no
© sign or other copyright notice on or near an image, I don't need permission
to use it, do I?
The absence of a copyright notice does not mean that you are free
to use an image. Since 1989, copyright notice is nolonger a requirement
under the Copyright Act. Even before 1989, the work without notice might
have been published without authority or the notice might have been omitted
in breach of contract which would not have placed the work in the public
domain. Again, the basic assumption has to be that there is a valid copyright.
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Is it true that
if I mail a copy to myself, I will have all the copyright protection I
need?
No. Mailing a copy of a work to yourself does nothing to protect
or enhance your copyright. To get the maximum copyright protection, you
must register your works at the Copyright Office in Washington as soon
as possible after they are created.
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If I buy and
pay for a print, can't I make copies of it?
No. The Copyright Act makes it absolutely clear that the tangible print
or copy of a work is completely separate from the right to use the work,
and paying for one does not necessarily mean obtaining the other.
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If I alter a work
of visual art 20% I can use it, right?
There is no safe % in which you can alter a work and use it without
permission.
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