Lehto's Law: Pete Souza (Obama WH Photog) Sued For Posting His Own Public Domain Photos

[TheBlackAdder]

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[Historic NY]

1. I have run across two of those companies that have taken in photos

I have on Facebook. Mostly these are wartime photos, and many were taken by a US Government photographer.
I in fact purchased a collection of these from the actual photographers. Most are stamped or signed off on a US government release for publication at the time.

I've spotted some of the photos in these companies files. It's like the vacuum up the internet. Fortunately, there are enough variations to show multiple photographers were present at the time for some of the press staged events.

I also a vehicle that been photographed and used as a marketing tool, which I didn't know was happening.

Its crazy

[Rocknation]

2. Shades of of "Fat Axl-Gate"

Last edited Tue May 16, 2023, 09:14 PM - Edit history (15)

Blabbermouth, June 2016: GUNS N' ROSES singer (Axl Rose) issued a DMCA takedown notice to Blogspot and GoogleUserContent demanding the image — which shows Axl looking a little bloated during a 2010 gig in Canada — be taken down as it infringes copyright...

Boris Minkevich at the Winnipeg Free Press, who took the original photograph, (says) he was unaware Axl had been trying to "cleanse the web" of his picture. Even though the photograph was taken by Minkevic...Web Sheriff, an anti-piracy company...claims he is not the copyright holder.

The company (said) in a statement..."We can gladly confirm that all official/accredited photographers at [Axl Rose] shows sign-off on 'Photography Permission' contracts/'Photographic Release' agreements which...specify and limit the manner in which the photos can be exploited and...transfer copyright ownership in such photos to [Axl Rose's] relevant service company...

"[If a photographer] was there and taking shots without permission or authority, then other considerations/factors would come into play as to what such individuals can and cannot do in terms of attempting to commercially exploit the resultant images of someone else's show..."

Minkevich could not recall if he signed any contracts...

Nice try -- but they're overlooking the facts that Minkevich got his "permission" to take the photos from the Winnipeg Free Press, and that is was they who so cruelly "exploited" Axl by publishing them under the "power and authority" of their editorial copyright. Even worse for Web Sheriff, that isn't even really the point.

This is really the point: neither Minkevich, his newspaper, nor any the search engines created these:



And their creators had every right to do so, because memes are a form of public free speech that do not violate any copyrights if they do not meet the standard of defamation, slander or obscenity (a lower standard if you're a public figure) and if their creators don't profit from them.

Axl "looked bloated" in the photos because he WAS bloated. And bullying the photographer when the Winnipeg Free Press was the closest thing to a culprit equates to stepping on a bug because the alternative is wrestling an alligator. Which might explain why the concert review with Minkevich's photos are STILL online 12 years later.


Rocknation