Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/11/18

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Subject: [Leica] "Life" Magazine photo archive hosted by Google
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)
Date: Tue Nov 18 19:49:27 2008

Geoff Hopkinson offered

>> On the previous archive that was on a Life site, I recall that it was
only the covers that were available. I assumed that Life originally
purchased the publishing rights for those at the time?<<<<<

 

It has always been my understanding that if "YOU WORK AS A HIRED EMPLOYEE."
The employer owns all the rights, period! Regardless of what people might
think. This doesn't mean I agree with it! But you have been hired to work
for an employer, they pay your salary to take pictures for them.

In other words you are a "HIRED HUMAN!"  The employer paid all the expenses,
your salary, you did the assignment and moved onto the next.

 

Then the employer some 60 or so years later decides to make all their photo
files available to the world. for a fee? So you come back looking for more
money? But you were paid to do all this stuff without any thought that it..
"MIGHT BE SOLD OR USED AGAIN"..  

I'm not defending the employer, nor am I saying the photographers shouldn't
be paid some extra for their efforts. 

But my gut feelings are the "originators of the photographs should enjoy
some extra compensation."

By the same token, one must take into account, you were a hired employee
enjoying a fine salary for your ability at the time.

HOWEVER! If you were a freelance, in other words, you owned your own company
and leased your services for a particular assignment. Then by all means you
should receive extra compensation if the material is being sold again.

This is a very tough topic to work through from an independent business
person point of view and the opposite. a hired gun to a magazine or
government employer situation point of view.

 

ted

 


Replies: Reply from leica at web-options.com (Bob W) ([Leica] "Life" Magazine photo archive hosted by Google)
Reply from leica at rcmckee.com (R. Clayton McKee) ([Leica] "Life" Magazine photo archive hosted by Google)
In reply to: Message from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] "Life" Magazine photo archive hosted by Google)