Use of images on the world-wide-web

I wonder whether someone can advise me please?

I run a web-site dealing with a history of photography. It is located at http://www.kbnet.co.uk/rleggat/photo/

For some time I have been seeking to persuade the Royal Photographic Society to allow me to show some photographs that illustrate points I am seeking to make, but as yet I have been unsuccessful. My site is entirely non profit-making, represents many years of study, and is used by many students in schools and colleges throughout the world.

Recently I was informed by someone that if the person who produced the pictures has died before 1924, I would be able to use copies without requiring permission, from whatever source. However pleasing this may be, I prefer to be cautious. Nevertheless the writer - a photographic historian of some eminence -- is insistent that this is the case, and the fact that a print may contain a notice saying "Copyright of..." is irrelevant.

There is no way I wish to break any law. On the other hand, I am anxious that students should have ready access, for example, to some of the images of Hill and Adamson, Fox Talbot, Julia Margaret Robinson, etc.

Where do I stand on this? I have argued that the pictures presented to the Royal Photographic Society were presumably donated so that they could be conserved, but also, presumably, that they might be readily available to others, but my argument has fallen on deaf ears. But have I been wasting energies on a battle that need not be fought?

Robert Leggat
<rl2[_at_]kbnet.co.uk> Received on Tue Jun 08 1999 - 15:48:00 GMT