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Copyright Notice
Artwork or photographs bearing a copyright mark cannot be accepted for reproduction without the written permission of the copyright owner. Federal law strictly prohibits unauthorized reproduction of copyrighted materials, and provides severe civil penalties for anyone found in violation. Customer supplied disclaimers are not acceptable in place of the copyright owners release. Absence of a copyright mark from a professionally made photograph does not imply permission to copy.
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States of America to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other types of works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Basic copyright protection is automatic, but can also be registered with the Office of Patents and Copyrights for a small fee. Once registered, the copyright will provide additional protection to the author in the event of willful copyright violation.
All photographs, regardless of who has taken them, are protected by copyright. Even your own photos are protected by copyright law, by virtue of the fact that the image you capture on film or digital media is a permanent record of an event or scene, and can be considered to be an original work of authorship. It is perfectly legal for a person to copy or have copied, any photos that they have personally taken. However, if the images were taken by a professional photographer, or anyone other than the person requesting the copies, then written permission must be obtained authorizing the images to be copied. Failure to obtain legal permission is a violation of federal law, title 17, U.S. Code.
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