Wow, nothing fires up the sporrs like a good argument. This "Gardner" controversy easily outdoes the Nikon/Canon and Kodak/Fuji battles of the past.
I found Roger Rassche's letter to be very sensible. He writes, "What actual harm has the great criminal Gardner done?" Sure, he has taken other people's work without their permission, but has he taken money out of their pockets? I doubt it. None of you have had your work pirated as much as I have over the past 25 years. As a portrait photographer, customers would often purchase the minimum "package" and then go to a 1-hr lab and make copy negatives. (People ask me to do it all the time, for portraits taken by other studios. I give them quite a lecture on ethics and copyrights.) A massive settlement to a wronged photographer a few years ago, and the resulting publicity, put an end to most of this. Ever try to have a copy made these days without the negative? Most labs are pretty strict -- even office supply stores that make color copies have rules about copyrights. Yes, my sales are higher as a result. If I posted a photo on the net and somebody else did something with it (without my permission) it would bother me, but not to the point of legal action. It's my fault for throwing something into the worldwide web. It has no rules, very little law enforcement, and is so big that some users don't realize that millions and millions of people have access to whatever they post. Sometimes I send an email reply to a person who posted a message in a newsgroup. He replies, "How do you know me? Where did you see my name?" Really paranoid that a stranger contacted him! Hey, you dummy, you put it on the internet! Do the words "world wide" mean anything? I have a photo that I might make use of in a magazine or a book. It's not anything great, but it's a scene that not many people can see. An odd combination of 40-year-old diesels, modern electrics, and new and old dual-mode locomotives that can only be seen here in Queens, NY at Amtrak's Sunnyside Yard. I was thinking of posting it on the net, but somebody might "borrow" it and it would lose it's value. So, to see if you've been reading this far........... Send me your postal mailing address and I'll send you a 4x5 color print, no charge. This is the only way I can have complete control over who has the photo. If it's reproduced somewhere I can come after you! No, this "Gardner" person won't get one, because if I get a questionable name I can check it with Dave C. (Mike Gardner, you're OK!) Bernie Ente Ente Studio, Maspeth NY [EMAIL PROTECTED] -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs
