Copyright on old pictures and designs

[annebridget]

I am writing a thriller that involves the RMS Olympic in the 1920s and would probably look to use some of the pictures and designs available on the internet for additional information to the readers.

How much of this is likely to be copyrighted and am likely to be sued for millions when my sales are unlikely to be above £5k, $10k

 

[Bob Read]

Your publisher would be involved in the copyright issues. If you are self-publishing I would recommend getting legal advice. Advice you get in internet forums such as this won't save you if you get in a legal bind.

 

[Gordon Mooneyhan]

Your publisher would be involved in the copyright issues. If you are self-publishing I would recommend getting legal advice. Advice you get in internet forums such as this won't save you if you get in a legal bind.

I agree with Bob. For photographs, copyright is the life of the photographer plus 75 years. I don't recall when that change was made, but I'm guessing the last 20-30 years. For my book, "Titanic, A Legal Perspective," where I used historical images, my attorney advised me to just give credit for each picture. Most were images that I had purchased online, so it was simple enough to say "Author's collection." IIRC Library of Congress images can be used with just a credit line. I would contact a local attorney and follow their advice, especially since I see you are in the UK. Also, check with an accountant. In the states, direct sales of a book are subject to Social Security Withholding Tax, but Royalties are not. So I have to pay the Social Security Tax on books that I sell to museums for resale, but books I sell on Amazon, because they are print on demand, are royalty sales, and, therefore, not subject to Social Security.

 

[Mark Baber]

annebridget, copyright law varies from country to country, so any advice given here is of limited value. Bob's advice that you seek legal advice is sound.

Since we are not in the business of providing legal counsel, this thread is now closed.