Comments on: Saturday Linkroll: Wrapping Up

By: JB

JB — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:55:08 +0000

Sue: Now, you see, THAT’s cheating. You mentioned Maine in your first post and got me all confused.

Yes, that is plenty old Strange though how something 2300 years old is far from the oldest wonder in Egypt. Makes U.S. history feel rather pathetic.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:11:45 +0000

No stretch, Jonathan. The Lighthouse of Alexandria. First lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_of_Alexandria
Maybe not quite 3,000 years, but I’d say 2,300 years is plenty old.

By: JB

JB — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:55:08 +0000

Sue: Now, you see, THAT’s cheating. You mentioned Maine in your first post and got me all confused.

Yes, that is plenty old Strange though how something 2300 years old is far from the oldest wonder in Egypt. Makes U.S. history feel rather pathetic.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:11:45 +0000

No stretch, Jonathan. The Lighthouse of Alexandria. First lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lighthouse_of_Alex...
Maybe not quite 3,000 years, but I’d say 2,300 years is plenty old.

By: JB

JB — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:42:18 +0000

Sue:

There is actually a great deal of debate as to how far that copyright protection over an architectural work goes. I’ve heard of many cases where it has been used to prevent photographers from taking pictures of buildings. This is an especially large problem in NYC. One photographer, a loose acquaintance of mine, was even treated roughly over such an incident.

I don’t think the law supports that (my personal opinion) and I hope that notion gets a serious test. But it goes to show that, though the fear might not have much grounding in law.

You are correct about the Federal works being in the public domain. I should have clarified that it has to be by a Federal employee for the purpose of their job. Obviously, the usual work for hire issues survive.

Thought the architect of the lighthouse is almost certainly dead and the copyright is expired, the last of the Egyptian pyramids was built just before 1800 BC. The first U.S. lighthouse was built in about 1716 AD. That makes for a difference of about 3500 years.

So, while I agree that the copyright has probably expired given the nature of the work, but stating that the lighthouse was created at the same time as the pyramids seems to be a bit of a stretch.

http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lighthousefacts.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids#Construction_dates

By: JB

JB — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 20:42:18 +0000

Sue:

There is actually a great deal of debate as to how far that copyright protection over an architectural work goes. I've heard of many cases where it has been used to prevent photographers from taking pictures of buildings. This is an especially large problem in NYC. One photographer, a loose acquaintance of mine, was even treated roughly over such an incident.

I don't think the law supports that (my personal opinion) and I hope that notion gets a serious test. But it goes to show that, though the fear might not have much grounding in law.

You are correct about the Federal works being in the public domain. I should have clarified that it has to be by a Federal employee for the purpose of their job. Obviously, the usual work for hire issues survive.

Thought the architect of the lighthouse is almost certainly dead and the copyright is expired, the last of the Egyptian pyramids was built just before 1800 BC. The first U.S. lighthouse was built in about 1716 AD. That makes for a difference of about 3500 years.

So, while I agree that the copyright has probably expired given the nature of the work, but stating that the lighthouse was created at the same time as the pyramids seems to be a bit of a stretch.

http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lighthousefacts.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_pyramids#...

By: Sue

Sue — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 02:00:55 +0000

Architectural designs can certainly be copyrighted. But the actual building itself? Perhaps a better word would be patented. But his way of thinking was that no one would be able to photograph or paint it, or use its image anywhere, without paying royalties to the Lighthouse Foundation.
In that case, the US govt. owes some big bucks to them, because that lighthouse appears on the Maine State quarter.
There is a little confusion on the federal govt. creations being public domain. It applies to photos and some documents, but only to a certain extent.
If, for instance, a photo is taken by a member of the armed forces specifically for the government’s usage, like in an official magazine or on a website, then that photo/story is in the public domain. If a civilian donates or gives permission to the govt. to use a photo or story on their web site or magazine, then that is NOT in the public domain. Copyright is still retained by the original photographer/writer. Just a little distinction some people might not know.
A P.S. on the lighthouse. The original lighthouse was created about the same time as the pyramids, so I have to assume that copyright holder is also dead.

By: Sue

Sue — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:00:55 +0000

By: JB

JB — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 15:32:56 +0000

Sue:

Well, it is a little bit less funny considering that you can actually copyright architectural works. There is a great deal of debate about how far that copyright extends, but buildings can receive a certain amount of protection.

Of course, in the case of the pyramids, any copyright holders have had their rights expire some 5000 years ago. Though I doubt the lighthouse is that old, it seems likely that any rights to it will have long since expired as well.

Besides, that’s typically something you see the big architecture firms do, not non-profits.

Oh, and anything created by the Federal Government is in the public domain anyway. No idea who built the lighthouse…

Thank you for the comment and it is definitely worth the chuckle. However, it seems to me to be just too surreal to really laugh at…

By: JB

JB — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:32:56 +0000

Sue:

Well, it is a little bit less funny considering that you can actually copyright architectural works. There is a great deal of debate about how far that copyright extends, but buildings can receive a certain amount of protection.

Of course, in the case of the pyramids, any copyright holders have had their rights expire some 5000 years ago. Though I doubt the lighthouse is that old, it seems likely that any rights to it will have long since expired as well.

Besides, that's typically something you see the big architecture firms do, not non-profits.

Oh, and anything created by the Federal Government is in the public domain anyway. No idea who built the lighthouse...

Thank you for the comment and it is definitely worth the chuckle. However, it seems to me to be just too surreal to really laugh at...