Unless otherwise stated, all photos are by Philip A. Tachauer. Public or commercial use is prohibited without prior written consent. For the use of non-public domain photos from other sources, permission must first be sought from those sources.
Except for specific names, the above statements appear in similar form in virtually every publication today and the copyright symbol (©) is a familiar sight to most.
There has been much discussion in recent years on the subject of artistic creations, intellectual property and the rights of copyright holders. If you are a photographer, musician, artist or author you understand the importance of the ongoing debate.
Most creations – artistic or utilitarian – don’t happen overnight. At the very least, they usually require some sort of expenditure of time and/or effort. Sometimes, as is the case with aviation photography, some cost was incurred to place the photographer in the spot from which the image was captured. Therefore, those who own the copyright to images or other works, whether by virtue of creation or acquisition, also have the right to reproduce or allow the reproduction of the material and can require a fee for the commercial use of that material.
Aviation photographers are an interesting lot. Back in the pre-digital camera days, the 1970s-1990s for this scribe, the vast majority were quite happy just to get their pics in print. Books authored by enthusiasts were often illustrated with images from aircraft photographers who asked, in writing, only that credit be given. The photographer’s name appeared with the photo or in the caption and all was well.
Sadly, like so many values from the past which, since the 1960s, seem to have been pushed aside, the idea of giving credit where credit is due would appear to be something of a foreign concept to today’s internet generation.
Copyright laws, which have some sort of recognition in over 160 countries, protect material on the internet just as they protect works in traditional media. Images and web pages may be downloaded for personal use but cannot be reposted without, at the very least, permission from the creator(s) or copyright holder(s).
What does all of this mean to a PlanePixelBooks blog visitor like you? Well, it means that if you see a photo that you like, or one which captures an aircraft of some significance to you, a relative or friend, and you want to download images off the blog for your own use, please don’t hesitate to do just that. For other purposes, please contact me.
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