Gregory Maxwell wrote:

As much of a problem as the above may be for us, it's not the worst of it: Simmlar cases to Bridgeman v. Corel have come up in the UK and the decision has been exactly the opposite.

They have? If so, could you point one out? So far, I know that people have pointed to a statutory definition of photographs as artistic works in their own right under UK law. But beyond that argument, which doesn't seem to clearly settle the matter, I'm not aware of anything that addresses the precise issue in Bridgeman v. Corel under UK law. Indeed, the famous Bridgeman opinion was only issued after the court originally decided the case based on its understanding of UK law (with the same result), and was persuaded to reconsider and concluded that US law applied, thus more clearly stating how this principle operates for US law. Now a US court is certainly not the final word on UK law, but I'd like to know more if there really is a conflicting decision out there.

--Michael Snow