I have to resist using images that technically don’t belong to me because of copyright issues, but at the same time, I ask myself, “Is anyone going to care?”
When copyright is such a mined trap, I will not use any pictures in my writing. The only illustration in my memoir is the depiction of the human soul as a circle enclosing 4 quadrants and a square as I tried to show the indivisibilty of the person to 4 and 5 year old children. This was to stop the trauma caused by a parent losing a limb in a work accident and, thereby, also losing his soul. They soon chirped excitedly as they left the classroom.
Thank you for this article! Thanks also for the reference to The Legal Genealogist blog on the subject. Through that, I have found a couple of great resources on the subject. Another way to deal with the question of copyright and newspapers is to briefly summarize the facts in the article in one’s own words, and provide a source citation or link. Facts cannot be copyrighted.
It is confusing and frustrating. I sent an image of a document to Barbara to set up the illustration for next week's tip. Technically, the digital image is protected by copyright, but the website's copyright policy page says government documents are protected by copyright for 50 years after their creation. The image comes from a government website, it is a government document, and the policy says nothing about digital images. I'm assuming they intend for me to use the 50-year rule. If I'm wrong, it's easy enough to take it down. If I were publishing a book, I'd get permission in writing because that would be an expensive mistake.
I also have good vibes about this article. I just contacted a historical society and read their policy on researched and published usage of the materials they may provide. It’s interesting.
This is really good information. I didn’t consider that museums and collections can change their policies, for example. I also thought I was somewhat protected if I made any misstep by the fact that I was not reproducing images for commercial use. I tend to stick to certain sources but now I need to be careful especially when using maps and other images from some of these smaller archives and libraries that don’t have policies clearly stated online.
When copyright is such a mined trap, I will not use any pictures in my writing. The only illustration in my memoir is the depiction of the human soul as a circle enclosing 4 quadrants and a square as I tried to show the indivisibilty of the person to 4 and 5 year old children. This was to stop the trauma caused by a parent losing a limb in a work accident and, thereby, also losing his soul. They soon chirped excitedly as they left the classroom.
What a painful topic that no one ever talks about. I hope your memoir helps others find peace.
Anne's Family History has information about Australian copyright rules. https://substack.com/@anneyoungau/note/c-126871972
Thank you for this article! Thanks also for the reference to The Legal Genealogist blog on the subject. Through that, I have found a couple of great resources on the subject. Another way to deal with the question of copyright and newspapers is to briefly summarize the facts in the article in one’s own words, and provide a source citation or link. Facts cannot be copyrighted.
Excellent point. Thank you for mentioning it.
Great post Deb and a topic that is on my mind often. I hadn’t really thought about online images being copyrighted. There’s much to think about here https://open.substack.com/pub/missiongenealogy/p/copyright-and-images?r=4aszx5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
It is confusing and frustrating. I sent an image of a document to Barbara to set up the illustration for next week's tip. Technically, the digital image is protected by copyright, but the website's copyright policy page says government documents are protected by copyright for 50 years after their creation. The image comes from a government website, it is a government document, and the policy says nothing about digital images. I'm assuming they intend for me to use the 50-year rule. If I'm wrong, it's easy enough to take it down. If I were publishing a book, I'd get permission in writing because that would be an expensive mistake.
It’s very frustrating. I would do exactly the same if I was writing a book. Actually concern about copyright would probably put me off the book
Very informative.
I provide my clients pictures, articles, etc. I now cite where I got them from but maybe that’s not enough?
I've made a bookmark folder of these references. I'm sure I'll use them often.
I also have good vibes about this article. I just contacted a historical society and read their policy on researched and published usage of the materials they may provide. It’s interesting.
This is really good information. I didn’t consider that museums and collections can change their policies, for example. I also thought I was somewhat protected if I made any misstep by the fact that I was not reproducing images for commercial use. I tend to stick to certain sources but now I need to be careful especially when using maps and other images from some of these smaller archives and libraries that don’t have policies clearly stated online.