Legal solutions for artists and creative businesses
Jeff Nilsson, Writer and Editor
www.jeffnilsson.com
About the artist
Nilsson writes investigative non-fiction in the fields of history, science, and the arts. As a result, he works with a wide spectrum of resources. He values originality in thought and expression, so he’s careful to avoid using other writer’s work. He’s equally concerned about protecting the value of his own writings. His most recent publication “Ethics Issues Remain On Cells” appeared as an op-ed in the Lansing State Journal at: HTTP://WWW.LANSINGSTATEJOURNAL.COM/APPS/PBCS.DLL/ARTICLE?AID=2006606180447
Legal Art solution
When he considered publishing his essays on the web, he worried that he would relinquish ownership of anything on the internet. He also wanted to illustrate his writing with photographs and artwork from the web, but was unsure about the scope of “copyright”, “fair use,” and “public domain” — terms that are far from self-explanatory.
After legal consultation, Nilsson understood he retained copyright in his works, even after “publication” on the internet. Just because a work is freely available does not mean that is it in the public domain; the author still retains the copyright. Most work on the internet is copyrighted. As an author trying to create lasting works of interest, he learned there are proper methods for obtaining artwork, even is labeled ‘public domain.” He learned how to obtain no-fee use of images and photographs to illustrate his works.
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