On Fri, Aug 05, 2005 at 12:37:03PM -0400, Glen wrote:
> What on earth is this about? I just read the inside cover of my *istDS
> Operating Manual, ("page 0?"), and it states the following:
[snipped]
> It seems to be saying that I don't own the copyright to my own images?!
Well, you don't. Or, at least, you don't hold all the rights.
Copyright law is complicated, and more than one person can own
copyright to an image.
It's warning you that some subject material is copyrighted, so
you can't publish or sell images of those subjects. Furthermore,
if you use images for certain purposes (most commercial use) then
you're also going to need permission from any people in the images.
> I know that some cheaper versions of certain computer software is limited
> to "personal use only", and the Pentax *istDS does contain some internal
> software embedded into the camera. Could they possibly be so bold as to
> mean that the use of the Pentax *istDS camera is only licensed for
> "personal use only", like some cheap piece of freeware or shareware?
There's nothing in the disclaimer that supports your belief that Pentax
are asserting any ownership and/or copyright on the images. All they
are doing is warning you that just because you took the photograph isn't
enough for you to use it in certain (unspecified) ways.
> I live in the USA, and perhaps they had copyright laws from some other
> country in mind?
Nope. Most countries where people can afford digital cameras are
signatories to the Berne convention on international copyright law.
> Whatever they meant to say, they worded it very poorly. Does anyone know
> exactly what they are talking about? I absolutely hate vague legal
> statements!
If they spelled out what you could (and couldn't) do in enough detail
to be actually useful, it would more than double the size of the manual.
