Public domain

Anita B og Erlend V Enget abeenget at online.no
Wed Oct 4 13:46:56 CEST 2006


Hi Stefan and others!

Yesterday you asked when something become "public domain".

According to Norwegian, and likely international law, some sort of 
"artwork", film, book etc becomes public domain after 100 years. Hence, 
Asbjørnsen and Moe's collection of Norwgian fairytales from 1850s are long 
ago free for anyone to reprint. I have no idea if, when time comes, for 
Disney's materials from the late 1920's and 1930's celebrates their 
centennial, this goes into the free flow of "artwork", or if they still have 
the work protected. I will find it very strange if they had their artwork 
free for anyone to reproduce and/or alter, to be hounest...

I think, and know for my own part, that owning som sort of artwork, means 
you have some interest in it, also economical. Thus, I feel it like stealing 
if someone use my artwork for a profit, without a prior permit from me, and 
granting me some sort of royalty.

I know a journalist that, after committing some text and photmaterial to a 
newspaper, they paid for that, published his image on their website, nor 
asking him for a permit or paying him extra for this. He then discovered his 
image being published in a major Norwegian glossy paper. They considered it 
to be some sort of public domain, and never paid for it.

Myself, I committed a picture for another newspaper in 2005 for a page they 
did not pay for it's contribution. This May, the newspaper re-printed the 
picture, correctly listing me as the photographer, but without a prior 
permit to reprint it. I called the editor, and claimed my rights and sent my 
invoice.

So, anyhting sold in a shop, downloaded free or by fee from the internet, is 
still stealing unless authorized from the owners. Logos and copyright 
notices still there, or ribbed off, makes not difference. It's still 
"åndsverk", someones property. Basically it's what the branch call piracy. 
There's a diffuce line, however, to the non commerical utility of i.e. 
Disney images on more or less authorized websites, clearly stating they are 
copyrighted or trademarked by Disney. It's not into my hands to talk for 
Disney's view on such sites, but my opinion it's a matter of definition when 
something idealistical non commercial becomes a violation of someones 
property.

Erlend Vold Enget
Norway 





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