Understanding Copyfraud: Public Domain Images and False Claims of Copyright

Understanding Copyfraud: Public Domain Images and False Claims of Copyright

Copyright

Chris Needham opens the door on the common copyfraud that occurs when museums misrepresent or restrict rights in a way that go against public domain copyright law. Needham first explains relevant copyright issues such as the copyright of certain artworks and books. Copyright lasts for about seventy years, but certain copyright laws can be a gray area when it comes to preservation of artifacts. How these artifacts become part of the public domain is a photograph is taken of the artifact and posted online for anyone to see much like a virtual museum. The author then dives into how the copyfraud of archives affect universities, publishing houses, and museums. In a more positive light, Needham shows how librarians and visual resource managers are supporting museums change their approach to copyright and copyfraud. Needham focuses on how this change is transforming scholarship and allowing scholars and librarians to better serve the public.
Chris Needham’s article is a well-written piece that dives into the issues that archives face with copyright laws. While copyright laws have been around for a long time, it can be difficult to interpret those laws for very specific situations, and it can be easy to commit copyfraud without realizing. This article is eye-opening and an important read for anyone within the scholarship field.

Chris Needham

Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America

2017 Fall

Abbygail Dees

Journal Article

Needham, Chris "Understanding Copyfraud: Public Domain Images and False Claims of Copyright," Art Documentation: Journal of the Art Libraries Society of North America 36, no. 2 (Fall 2017): 219-230. https://doi.org/10.1086/694241