---

All photographs and images identified with either

"SUNDANCE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY"

or

"F. Bennett Swenson"

are protected by the U.S. Federal Copyright Law and MAY NOT be copied or reproduced in any manner with out the explicit written permission of F. Bennett Swenson, Owner, Sundance Aerial Photography.

In the interest of encouraging the creative arts and a free flow of information, Federal Law provides for financial protection to the original creators of such things as books, paintings, designs, music, and photographs.  This protection exists in the legal term "Copyright" and gives the holder of the copyright exclusive rights to the reproduction, distribution, sale, performance, and display of such items and as such, allows those, who have invested their time and money to develop their talents and acquire the specialized equipment required for their line of livelihood, to enjoy the maximum return for their efforts.  The holder, in turn, can lease, sell, or transfer all or a portion of these rights to one or more people or entities.

With respect to Photographs, some confusion exists over "Copyrights" and, in some cases, this can lead to serious misunderstandings and conflicts between the photographer and the client.

Federal Law provides for monetary penalties to be levied against those who would seek to unscrupulously profit or benefit from the creative works of others without express permission.  Penalties can range from as little as $100 to an amount including lost revenues, statutory damages, court costs, and attorneys fees ($50,000 and up).

In lay terms, this says that at the instant the photographer captures the image of your smiling face on film, that image and all rights to its use and reproduction belong to that photographer.  You may purchase a copy (print or slide) of that image and hang it or project it on your wall, but you do not own any rights to that image.  Even though it's of YOUR smiling face and even if it was YOUR idea in the first place and even if YOU paid the photographer to take the photograph, you may not legally copy or reproduce it in any way without express permission from the photographer.  Most photographers, for a nominal fee, will grant LIMITED copyright releases allowing their work to be copied, published, used in brochures, etc..  A few photographers (very few), for a Not-So-Nominal fee, will sell ALL rights to the image, including the negatives.

Copyrighted photographs will have the word "Copyright", a date, and the holders name, usually on the back.  The internationally recognized symbol for copyright, the letter "C" in a circle, ©.   An uppercase "C" in parentheses, (C), may be used in addition to and/or instead of the word "copyright".  This is how you know who owns the rights to a particular image and who you should contact if you want to use it.

Questions? Call  800-286-0976    

---

[Go to Top] [Home Page] [About us] [Glossary] [Links] [Weather] [Photos]

Last page update 07-12-2005