[Foundation-l] About that "sue and be damned" to the National Portrait Gallery ...

[Ray Saintonge]

Mike.lifeguard wrote:
> Furthermore (and in a bizarre distortion of anything reasonable), NPG
> actually claims copyright on photos that individual visitors take. So,
> copyright on PD works is only OK if they own it... now that's just
> ridiculous. I'm not sure appeasing them is possible or even a good idea;
> this seems totally irrational and vindictive and furthermore contrary to
> their mission as a public institution.
>   
That would indeed be ridiculous, but it's not part of their letter to 
Coetze.  They know that he's in the U.S. and didn't just show up at the 
NPG with his camera to take all those pictures.  The claim is that he 
took them from their database.  "Irrational" and "vindictive" don't 
apply when they are looking after what they perceive to be their 
legitimate interests.  "Capitalist" would be a more appropriate epithet.

Ec