[Commons-l] Official paintings held by the U.S. Government

[Anthony DiPierro]

On 6/3/06, Jimmy Wales <jwales at wikia.com> wrote:
> I think there is no easy answer.  It would be best to contact the exact
> office or institution which commissioned them and ask for a letter
> clarifying the copyright status.
>
> It is possible that the government purchased both the copyright and the
> physical object, but also possible that the government merely purchased
> the physical object.
>
And in either scenario it's possible that the work is not in the
public domain.  As is stated in 17 U.S.C. § 105, "the United States
Government is not precluded from receiving and holding copyrights
transferred to it by assignment, bequest, or otherwise."