All photographs on SGAtkinson.com are copyright © Steven G. Atkinson (unless otherwise noted) with all rights reserved.
What is the copyright law in the US?
A copyright is a legal device that gives the creator of a literary, artistic, musical, or other creative work the sole right to publish and sell that work.
Copyright is a property right. Under the Federal Copyright Act of 1976, photographs are protected by copyright from the moment of creation.
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, Steven G. Atkinson, as the photographer, is the the owner of the “work”. Even if he is hired to take photographs of you or an event as examples. Steven G. Atkinson owns the copyright unless the copyright of the photographs is transferred, in writing, to another person or oganization. The subject of the photograph generally has nothing to do with the ownership of the copyright in the photograph. Even upon my death the rights in the photograph are determined by the photographer’s will or passed as personal property by the applicable laws of intestate succession.
When you purchase a photograph by Steven G. (SG) Atkinson you are purchasing a limited right to the photograph usage. The terms of the usage will be defined by contract and often will be embedded in the actual photograph file. With the purchase of a print or a product with a photo, only that actual printorproduct becomes the property of the purchaser.
Examples of Copyright Infringement
– Claiming another’s work as your own
– Any manipulation (including editing) that is not done by permission
– Scanning a picture
– Downloading sneak peeks from the web
– Taking a screenshot of gallery