I will be interested to hear what you find out, Believe09. What I am not understanding is why BK is supposively being threatened with legal action over the picture?
From what I have learned recently about licensing fees (thank you contributors to Caylee Anthony forum!), it would make sense that if Savannah Morning News and/or John Carrington are attempting to enter into a license fee agreement with Newsweek, there could be an issue of "value" of the picture since it is already in the public domain. But correct me if I am wrong, but I thought it was NOT BK who has submitted the photo to the various myspaces, missing person forums, OUR forum (Tricia) etc. If SMN/JC were wanting to get the photo removed from public so they could "sell" it (licensing fees), wouldn't they be threatening legal action against the various site owners?
What legal grounds would they have to sue BK?
Is anyone aware of whether Tricia has received a stop and desist order from a SMN attorney?
Dear Friends at Web Sleuths,
I have not been sued or threatened to be sued by the
Morris Publishing Group. I received information, indirectly,from an United States Congressman's office, that the
Morris Publishing Group (the owners of the
Savannah Morning News and the
<SavannahNow.com> web site) were preparing to file suit against people who had posted items that the
Morris Publishing Group had published, on the World Wide Web
.
After having learned of this information, I tried to notify everyone, whom I know, that they were in danger of being sued if they used copyrighted material from the
Morris Publishing Group. Corporations like to pick someone who cannot afford to pay an attorney, file suit against them and thereby get an "easy win". In doing so they set a precedent in the courts, that would make it easier for them to win future suits. I would not like to see that happen to anyone that I know, especially if they were sued because they were trying to help me.
I do not blame the
Morris Publishing Group for trying to protect their copyrighted material. If they allowed their copyrighted material to go into the Public Domain they would lose their ability to make money and they are in the business to make money. If I were in their shoes I would do the same thing. Look at how the Woolworth's Corporation last the trademark for "aspirin". That is not an exact parallel, but it is close.
Should anyone decide to go ahead and use that picture of me, taken by
John Carrington, they should, at least, give him credit for having taken that picture. It is the best picture of me that is in existence and far exceeds my own attempts at photography.
Respectfully yours,
Benjaman Kyle