Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> I was thinking of getting that NG set too.. and was glad to get the critique.. > however what the deal with the unledgeable print? ... you cannot read the > articles? or does this refer to just the smaller print...? > thanks > Gary From: ASJA CONTRACTS WATCH 54 (vol 4, #15) CW971223 December 23, 1997 Photographers have filed two lawsuits over NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC's new searchable CD-ROM archive, which includes each issue in the magazine's 108-year history. Early in December, a contributor whose Geographic work goes back to the 1960s and 1970s filed a copyright infringement complaint in federal district court in Miami. In a separate action on December 19, five photographers--three of them acting through their stock agency--brought a federal suit in New York City. All the plaintiffs maintain that their written agreements with the magazine don't allow their photos to be used in "The Complete National Geographic" without permission. The cases somewhat resemble "Tasini v. The New York Times," recently decided in New York district court in the publishers' favor and now under appeal. One major difference, says Stephen Weingrad, lawyer for the group of five photographers, is that in the Geographic case, what was originally published by a nonprofit organization is now being republished by a for-profit enterprise. The 30-disc CD-ROM set, which retails for $199.95 and includes major advertising from Kodak, is a project of National Geographic Interactive, a new for-profit arm of the Society. Last summer, a different group--16 photographers claiming ownership of more than 3,000 photos on the CD-ROMs--hired a lawyer to discuss the matter with Geographic. This week, the organizer told Contracts Watch those photographers and their lawyer were "awaiting a response." No writers affected have yet taken action.