While there may be hundreds of legal details involving the use of copyrighted materials, the basic principles of the U.S. and international copyright laws are pretty simple -- if it is an "original work of authorship," you may not use it without the permission of its creator. This law, of course, applies to all the photography on the ActionSportsInc.Com, web site as well as to the web site itself.
Copyright laws state that any "original work of authorship" is protected from the moment of its creation. It is very important to understand that such a work need not be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office to enjoy copyright protection. Infringements can result in severe penalties as well a significant legal expenses.
The U.S. Copyright Law is simply the governments best attempt to provide creative people with the legal clout to benefit financially from their creations. It is not, as some seem to think, a roadblock to the dissemination of information. In truth, lawmakers have bent over backwards to make sure information is widely disseminated. A "fact" is never copyrightable. On this web site, information about creators and their licensing agents is readily available. When viewing the larger version of any image, simply place the cursor over the image. A "rollover" should appear displaying all the necessary information. If not, please contact Action Sports Photography, Inc. for the information. Students and others interested in using photographs without charge can find many usable images by going to any internet search engine such as Google or Yahoo and typing in "free photography."
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
All material at this site is Copyright ©2005 Action Sports Photography, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4606 Roush Place, Suite 400 Concord, NC 28027 Phone: (704) 784-5800. Material on this site may not be used in any manner without the express prior written consent of ASP, Inc. |
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