Re: autographs

From: Bernard Katz <bkatz[_at_]uoguelph.ca>
Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2000 10:04:04 -0500 (EST)

On Mon, 17 Jan 2000, Peter Groves <peter.groves[_at_]virgin.net> wrote:
>
> On 15 Jan 2000, Sylvie Fodor <s.fodor[_at_]akg.de> wrote:
> >
> > I would be interested to know how, according to your opinion,
> > Autographs -- meaning the photo of the signature of a person, dead
> > or alive, famous or not -- are to be treated?
> >
> > Can they be protected by copyright? Do they have to be registered as
> > trademark?
> >
> > Any kind of answer out of any country is welcome.
>
> There cold be some copyright protection in the UK if it could be argued
> that the signature was an original artisitic work, but that would surely
> be a difficult argument to run. My advice to a client in this situation
> would be to try to register a trademark.

This approach has been used successfully in Canada, for example by the heirs of L.M. Montgomery to protect the use of her signature on products.

Cheers,
Bernard Katz, Head, Special Collections and Library Development McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph, Guelph ON Canada N1G 2W1

   and Chair, Ontario Library Association Copyright Task Force bkatz[_at_]uoguelph.ca // (519) 824-4120 X2089 // FAX: (519) 824-6931

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"It's no use trying to guess at the time by the height of the sun; you will only loose /sic/ the train. Call on J. Pratt, practical Watchmaker 38 Wyndham St., St.George's Square". Advertisement, p.68, _Guelph Directory for 1875/6/7_ Guelph(?)1875(?)

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Received on Tue Jan 18 2000 - 15:04:18 GMT