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Topic: permission to use a celebrity's mug shot in a book
| Author | Message |
| gregp22 | Posted – 5/13/2008 11:00:20 PM | show profile does anyone know if you have to get permission to use a celebrity's mug shot in a book? do you have to get someone to sign a photo release? if so, who (someone at the police department who took the pic)? the celebrity in question is deceased, also. |
| Cyrus | Posted – 5/14/2008 12:13:43 AM | show profile Generally speaking, if you're using any kind of photo in a manner that's not consistent with a bona fide news account, then you do have to get permission. That doesn't apply to a deceased person, however. The only time clearance is required for something connected to someone who's deceased is when you're using part of a copyrighted work because copyrights go beyond an author's death. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/14/2008 1:50:47 AM | show profile i believe all mug shots are public domain. |
| Grateful Deadline | Posted – 5/14/2008 10:25:32 AM | show profile Make that "all police mug shots." |
| writesonwater | Posted – 5/14/2008 10:33:29 AM | show profile Doesn't this have more to do with who took the picture than who the person is? If it's taxpayer funded -- a police mug shot -- it should be public domain, right? |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 5/14/2008 2:28:11 PM | show profile Mug shots are in the public release. However, if you need a shot large enough for reproduction, you might want to contact the original agency (sheriff, police, etc.) that took the shot. "A mug shot is a public record produced by the government, and thus cannot be copyrighted. Not all public records are "made public" or "publicly released" or "published" ? for example, an investigator's notes or in some jurisdictions, drivers' license data ? but no public record, published or not, can be copyrighted. All public records are non-copyrightable and are automatically in the public domain ? though the public may never know it if the records are not made public." |
| Homer | Posted – 5/14/2008 9:43:12 PM | show profile Wow, Bleak, you just outed your other screen name. Intentional? |
