* Don Armstrong <d...@debian.org> [090117 20:01]: > On Sat, 17 Jan 2009, Miriam Ruiz wrote: > > Does anyone know if NASA conditions [1] are DFSG-free? According to > > what's written there, it seems to me that they're public domain > > (NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in > > the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and > > polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted.""), but I > > want to make sure. > Because NASA as a US government agency can't copyright things it > produces directly, they're usually DFSG free. (It's the equivalent of > public domain in the US.) [Specific examples of work are needed to > figure out whether that's the case in a specific instance.]
I know this is general accepted knowledge, but has anyone ever asked a layer knowledgable in international copyright law about it? It is sure public domain in the US, but I see no reason why it should be public domain outside. From what I have read the US goverment holds the copyright outside the US and the only way it could be public domain in other countries is that either US explicitly waives it rights even in other countries (which I think it does not) or other countries' law making it public domain. As other countries usually do not have a section stating things made for the US government are public domain, the only argument I've found is that most countries have some reciprocity for copyright of foreign subjects. But trying to understand the German law text (as some example, as I hope to understand that best), I think it says copyright of foreigners is protected if their country would protect the copyright of locals, and then applies the local rules of what is copyrightable and makes no exception for things that would not have been protectable abroad. Hochachtungsvoll, Bernhard R. Link -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-legal-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org