Information About Copyright

NSWP.ORG contains images of works of art both copyrighted and from the public domain. Copyrighted works are presented under the Fair Use Provision of the Copyright Act.

Art copyright falls into two categories under the Berne Convention, copyrighted works and public domain works:

If the artist is alive or has been dead less than 70 years all rights to reproductions of his or her work reside with the artist or estate. Reproduction rights for some works can be sought by contacting:

  • Artists Rights Society
    65 Bleecker Street
    New York, NY 10012
    Tel: +1 (212) 420-9160
    www.arsny.com

Or:

  • VAGA (Visual Artists and
    Galleries Association, Inc.)

    350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 6305
    New York, NY 10118
    Tel: +1 (212) 736-6666
    Fax: +1 (212) 736-6767
    Email: rpanzer.vaga@erols.com


About Fair Use

Fair Use Provision of the Copyright Act states:

107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair Use

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:

  1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for non-profit educational purposes;
  2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
  3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

Copyrighted artists appearing on NSWP.ORG are presented for educational purposes, including teaching, scholarship and research. Where possible, contact information for owners of the copyright so that they may benefit from any commercial opportunities that may lead from the presentation of these images on NSWP.ORG.

Excerpts from books are presented with full references and are for the purposes of education, criticism and comment only.

Images appearing on NSWP.ORG under fair use provisions are low resolution (72 dpi) JPEGs and are unsuitable for print reproduction and therefore do not compete with the sale of licensed, high-resolution copyrighted images. It is the intention of the Webmaster, that the presentation of images in NSWP.ORG online will promote requests for licensing information, reproductions, and even original artwork — increased revenue for copyright holders.


About Public Domain

If an artist has been dead more than seventy years, his or her work belongs in the public domain. Photographs of public domain work belong to the photographer and/or publisher. Museums often commission photographs of works in their collection and therefore hold the reproduction rights to these photographs.

The best source for licensing rights to public domain works is Art Resource. Devoted to fine art, Art Resource is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive stock photo archives — with access to over 3 million images from the prehistoric times to the present from all over the world.

The best web site for copyright information is Benedict O'Mahoney's The Copyright Website: www.benedict.com.


How to Credit Authors & Publications

Be sure to note authors and publication dates. When crediting information that is published only on the World Wide Web, it is important to give the URL address, and the name of the publisher of the site. Be sure to check for any publication data that might identify a paper version. For Example:

  • Not Good Enough: Special Report of the Child Youth & Family Advocate of British Columbia. Preston, J. 1999.

Citing Electronic Sources…


Created: September 15, 2002
Last modified: January 11, 2006
NSWP Network of Sex Work Projects
Email: secretariat@nswp.org