[WikiEN-l] Copyright question

[Andrew Gray]

2009/7/18 Jussi-Ville Heiskanen <cimonavaro at gmail.com>:

> What is most striking to my mind in this issue of
> use of images, is how the status quo differs from
> that with regard to _texts_.

I suspect it's simply that with images - where the physical single
"master copy" is quantitatively different for publishing purposes -
it's a lot easier to assert a dodgy sort-of-copyright than it is with
a textual work.

The traditional approach is to say - "sorry, you can't take a
photograph or a scan of it. Oh, you want to publish it? Well, as luck
would have it, we can sell you a scan. $500. Oh, and there's terms and
conditions on that - you've got to credit us, you've got to destroy
that intermediate copy once you've set up the publication, you can
only use it in specified ways... why, yes, it is still in the public
domain, why do you ask? Oh. If you don't want to abide by this
contract, then good luck finding someone else who'll have a
good-quality print."

You can't really do that sort of footwork with a published work, since
setting up a faithful copy of it requires nothing more specialised
than a book and a typesetter.

-- 
- Andrew Gray
  andrew.gray at dunelm.org.uk