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Copyright troll sues US Post Office over its stamp of Korean War Memorial
Some time ago the sculptor who was contracted by the US government to create the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC sued the US Postal Service because it was selling a stamp using a photograph of the Memorial. When the government paid for his work, it did not also get the copyright to it. He won a $5,000 award and appealed, saying it was too small. The appeals court for the federal circuit (CAFC) agreed with the sculptor, overturned a lower court's verdict, and awarded him $3 million of the taxpayer's money. How about this simple policy: if you have someone create a memorial or statue or piece of artwork for public display, part of the deal is that the whole thing from then on is in the public domain. If they object, find another artist. -- The fact that the Korean War Memorial is not in the public domain is a travesty. -- The fact that the post office's photo is not considered fair use of the Korean War Memorial is a travesty. -- The fact that the sculptor may end up getting another batch of tax money for his work is a travesty. -- And all of it could have been avoided if someone (anyone) in the US government realized ahead of time that works created and paid for by the public should belong to the public. Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2012-05-23 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=345155 |