Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/28

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Subject: Re: [Leica] National Geographic ...
From: dannyg1@IDT.NET
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 1997 22:33:02 +0000

> 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.