Vintage Photos

I have been collecting old vintage black and white photos,from auction lots,estate sales,yard sales,what do I have the right to do with these photos,can I display them in an online open to the public photo album not meant for sale nor trade?

Thanks,

Joe Merritt

Chesapeake,Va.

USA

Tags: photos, vintage

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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on December 23, 2012 at 4:39pm

A chat with a lawyer that understands copyright might be worthwhile. Different jurisdictions have different rules. Wikipedia says: Typically, the duration of copyright is the whole life of the creator plus fifty to a hundred years from the creator's death, or a finite period for anonymous or corporate creations. Some jurisdictions have required formalities to establishing copyright, but most recognize copyright in any completed work, without formal registration. Generally, copyright is enforced as a civil matter, though some jurisdictions do apply criminal sanctions.

As a practical matter, if you are just scanning and displaying them as "Look at all these really cool old photos that came from yard and estate sales", it is unlikely anyone will object enough to take you to court. If you are not using them to advertise something, you probably will not need model releases either. Quality legal advice could confirm or refute this.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Merritt on December 23, 2012 at 4:59pm

Thats what I was figuring,the "For Educational Purposes Only" statement.I became addicted to vintage photos in my search for photos of such things as the Ringer Washing Machine ,the one with the Ringer rollers on top,which I remember my mom having in the basement,and the original Merritt & OKeefe Stoves,along with the IceBox,which was an early version of todays freezer fridge combos,which needed a large block of ice in the lower compartment to keep things cold.