Copyright of Scanned Photos

[smoorhea]

My great grandmother made a scrapbook for my grandpa in 1966 which contained some old photos. My uncle scanned them for me and retouched them slightly to make them easier to see. He now claims copyright on these photos and says that I cannot use them because he retouched them on his computer. Can anyone tell me what the laws are on this? I live in SD, he lives in WY. Thank you.

 

[loku]

Copyright on photos

If the retouching was at all significant, your uncle probably does have a copyright on the copies that he made. However, you can make personal use of the photos, and you can even make a copy for personal use. Mostly, the copyright would prohibit you from making a public or commercial use.

You could also use the old photos, since he would not have a copyright on those.

 

[lawrat]

plus, the photos may be from older days ---- i.e. copyright gone on them?like 1900?

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I am a law school graduate. What I offer is mere information, not to be construed as forming an attorney client relationship.