Re: photos of ancient artifacts

On 7/20/2000, Edward Harvey <eharvey[_at_]sbceo.org> wrote:
>
> 1) If I have received permission to photograph artifacts in the
> collection of a museum do I need to get a license agreement for
> the images used in the specific project that I am making? The
> director of collections knew that I was photographing for some
> kind of eventual publication when he granted access to the
> collection.

This is practical advice (not legal advice) for what's always been a messy situation. Many museums won't allow photos of works they own to be reproduced, except their own photos (for which they charge). Don't assume the director knew what you had in mind. It's your responsibility to tell him, preferably in a letter, and to find out what his policies are. I don't advise crossing him, arguing with him, or doing anything which isn't entirely up-front. You'd be taking a chance of finding yourself banned from future access to both that museum and other museums. As a rough rule of thumb, you might think of yourself as the director's guest, and ask yourself how a good guest would or should behave.

> 2) If a collector has given me permission to photograph items in
> his collection and even given me possession of the artifacts
> temporarily, do I need a license agreement to use these images
> in my project?

If you're a professional photographer you ought to know that when you photograph people or their property, you need their permission to publish the images.

> 3) If the author of a book on these artifacts, who is also the
> photographer of the images used in his book, gives me permission
> to use these images in my project, do I have to have permission
> from the individual collectors of the objects in the images?

Yes.

pat sloane
<patsloane[_at_]aol.com> Received on Thu Jul 20 2000 - 23:27:04 GMT