Mark Gallagher wrote:
G'day Pedro,
while we're a topic, a couple of months ago I took pictures (on a museum) of ancient mayan sculptures. Unfortunately I was on a hurry so I couldn't go talk with staff. Now, who owns the copyright? Those sculptures are like a thousand year old, but pd-old doesn't apply (it will apply 100 years after I die in case I actually hold the copyright of my pictures)
Can I upload such pictures to wikipedia? Can museum claim copyright on the ancient sculptures? and if so, can it claim copyright on my pictures?
I think a photo of a 3D sculpture has a lot more "creativity" in it than a scan of a painting: choosing the angle, and so on. Such a photo could well be copyright you. If I'm wrong, then the copyright would be held by the original artist (in other words, PD-old).
Either way, the museum has no claim on you. I believe that's why some museums don't like you taking photos.
It's important to note that in many countries you may hold the copyright on your photographs of 3D objects, but that copyright lasts for a shorter time than for literary works.
I think that the Hungarian National Museum has an interesting policy. Admission to the museum is free, but you need to buy a permit to take photographs. The rate was the equivalent of about $20. There is a higher rate if you want to use a video camera.
Ec