Copyright issues

[Denis Brothers]

To my mind there seems to have been some confusion about what is
actually involved in this copyright of images business. As I understood
the original message, it was that the Natural History Museum (perhaps
amongst others) claims copyright on any image of one of "their" type
specimens no matter who took the photograph. That seems to me to be
stretching the concept a bit far! Surely, if I have photographed their
specimen with the knowledge (or even the explicit permission) of the
curator responsible, I should be able to use MY photograph as I need to
- it's not THEIR photograph!

Professor Denis J. Brothers
School of Botany and Zoology
University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg)
Private Bag X01              Telephone: (+27) (0)331-260 5106
Scottsville                        Fax: (+27) (0)331-260 5105
3209 SOUTH AFRICA     e-mail: brothers at zoology.unp.ac.za