Inheritance and copyright issues.

Matt Taylor

Matt Taylor

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Matthew
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I received a large parcel of over 700 slides yesterday, they are images from the interior of Papua New Guinea and generally date from 1992-1995. They were taken by several people but all under contract to my parents publishing company. Since my father passed away in 2007 the company was dissolved and my mother moved down to Australia and has now sent me the slides with the instruction to do with them as I wish.

There are some great images and I feel they deserve a wider audience but where do I stand as far as copyright is concerned? My mother says the images were all owned by the company and that the company held the copyrights.

A couple of quick scans:

5374715137_4ae1f97de9.jpg


5374711561_56c0e86102.jpg
 
BandyQuill said:
in theory, if they were owned by the company you can do with them as you please...

but if you know the name of the photographer might be worth sticking the name as a credit to them...
Click to expand...

That's one thing about digital, at least all of our pictures have our name on them!

Why don't you hold a mini exhibition ?

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
 
I would be very interested in seeing these Matt, if you get anything sorted be sure to post up viewing arrangements
 
Jelster said:
That's one thing about digital, at least all of our pictures have our name on them!

Why don't you hold a mini exhibition ?

Steve

Sent from my iPad using TP Forums
Click to expand...

how do you put name on all pics, do you mean a water mark or set it in camera some how


mat
 
It appears that my brother in law (living in the UK) was one of the photographers and he concurs that the copyrights belonged to the company, but his help will be invaluable in helping catalogue the images. I have every intention of displaying the images online in some form but given that I am just a bout to relocate from Hampshire to London I won't get started on anything until the summer I imagine.
 
matty198111 said:
how do you put name on all pics, do you mean a water mark or set it in camera some how


mat
Click to expand...

the camera attaches my name and contact info into the data written alongside everyshot. I don't know if entry level cameras can do it but it'll be set through whatever utility the camera came with (eos utility in my case)
 
This would make a fantastic project, I love the picture of the aeroplane. It really floats me boat :D

Matty on Canon cameras using the software provided you can set the camera to embed your name and copyrite into the exif data. That way it appears on all shots you take. Don't forget it can be easily stripped by the unscrupulous.
 
Matt Taylor said:
I received a large parcel of over 700 slides yesterday, they are images from the interior of Papua New Guinea and generally date from 1992-1995. They were taken by several people but all under contract to my parents publishing company. Since my father passed away in 2007 the company was dissolved and my mother moved down to Australia and has now sent me the slides with the instruction to do with them as I wish.

There are some great images and I feel they deserve a wider audience but where do I stand as far as copyright is concerned? My mother says the images were all owned by the company and that the company held the copyrights.

A couple of quick scans:

5374715137_4ae1f97de9.jpg


5374711561_56c0e86102.jpg
Click to expand...

I think you might need advice from someone specialiasing in copyright who would be able to provide a more definitive answer, as if the copyright did belong to the company, that company has been disolved and therefore is a very grey area as to who owns what for most of us. :shrug:

However, legal issues aside, if you get confirmation its ok to do so, why not get them all onto digital media and publish them as a collection on a dedicated website and see if you can use social media networking to find the original photographers? It might be that you [or your mum] technically owns them, but its a way to share and maybe get people together.
 
From a copyright standpoint, the company would (if it were not dissolved) own copyright for the duration of it (50-60 years past the death of the author) as they were taken in the 90s, you've got plenty of time I'm betting :).

As the company has been dissolved it makes it all rather complicated. One could assume that all properties of the company, unless sold on, pass onto the directors (copyright can be considered like any other piece of property e.g. a chair.) Personally I am not certain if that is the case and so it would be worth talking with someone well versed in companies law, or Companies House themselves. The issue here, and whether the images are now in the public domain,
is what happens to company property once the company is dissolved.

I think it would make a fantastic exhibition, I would want to get in touch with the photographers and work with them to put it on. These shots from the worlds history are ever so important in my opinion.
 
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Would it have been possible to have bought them from the company before it had dissolved? That would have solved a lot of issues!

Was the company dissolved or put into administration? If administration, then techinically the administrators would have a right to sell the images to recover any debts.

If not, it was dissolved, then the assets of the company would be the property of the shareholders, which sounds like your mum and dad. If you paid your mum £1 for them, you would legally own them, so no issues.*




* I reckon anyhow. Speaks to someone who has a bit more knowledge of the law than me if I was you!
 
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