There has been a lot of discussion about copyrights among the members of varioius art groups that I belong to.

For as much discussion as there is, a large amount of confusion exists, primarily, I think, because a lot of artists don't understand or even know about the copyright process.

First off, as soon as a piece of art work is created by the artist, it is copyright protected under the law, in his/her name even though it isn't registered.

"If that is the case,"  you may ask, "then why do I need to register my art work for copyright purposes?" 

The answer to that is elementary--if someone infringes upon your copyright and reproduces your work for his own use, and sale under his own name, you can easily take legal action against the person if you have registered the work.  If it is unregistered, proving it is yours can be very dificult and costly.

Another area of concern as well as general ignorance of the law is the creation of collages by the "artist" using other people's work.

Have you done this?  Know someone who is creating collages by cutting out photos, drawings, etc., from magazines, books, or other sources?

Did you know that doing so without the written permission of every artist whose work you have cut out and pasted to your creation is a violation of the copyright law?

"But, I purchased the book, magazine, paper, etc., that I cut the image out of.  The book is mine to to do whatever I want with it."  Did you read the copyright notice on the contents or publisher's page?  Everything in the publication is protected under that statement of copyright.

Do you create  beautiful paintings or drawings from photographs seen in publications like National Geographic?  

Did you know that if you exhibit  that artwork publicly, for sale under your name, you are viiolating the copyright law. 

What the Copyright Law is, how it works and how to protect yourself and your work, can be found on the U. S. Bureau of Copyright's Web site at http://www.Loc.gov/copyright/

The list of U. S. Guides is available at http://Fedlaw.gsa.gov/

Protect your work and help maintain the integrity of the Art World.