No, this isn't an article about Roe v. Wade. It is about your rights as an author of art. When you own a copyright, you get to:

" To reproduce the copyrighted work;

" To display the copyrighted work publicly;

" To prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work; and

" To distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public by sale, rental or lending, and/or to display the image.

These rights may be assigned, sold, transferred or given away. But when you assign, sell, transfer or give away any of these rights, the only one that must be done in writing is when you transfer the copyright in total to someone else. You may do the rest verbally.

Imagine the surprise of Duke Prentup when he found that his $100 lithograph purchased from University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill was a mirror image of the famous artist's Thomas E. Mails' pen and ink drawing, "The Mystic Warriors of the Plains." While he likes Churchill's lithograph, he is disappointed. See the story here: News story

The two pieces are so identical, it's clear that the copying was no accident. So the question becomes whether Mails, as the copyright author, gave Churchill permission to prepare a derivative work.

But we may never know. Mails is deceased. His son believes that his father would have not given such permission. Because such permission can be done verbally, there may not be a record to confirm it either way.

Unfortunately, the son's opinion won't carry too much weight in court, either.

What should you do in response to this story? Always grant your rights in writing. Make a record of every single one. Make it such a standard policy of yours that after you're gone, everyone will be able to testify that it was your habit to grant all of your rights in writing, even those that didn't have to be. That type of testimony does carry weight in the courtroom. And that may be the only way to protect your work in the long run.

Carolyn Wright

Carolyn Wright is a professional photographer with an active wildlife photography business. Shooting for 25 years, her award-winning images have been used in books and corporate marketing materials. Her wildlife photos will be included in the upcoming book, "Captivating Wildlife - Images from the Top Ten Emerging Wildlife Photographers" by Scott Bourne and David Middleton. She also is working with Scott Bourne on "Wolfscapes," a photo book documenting the beauty and strength of wolves. Carolyn shares her love for photography with her enthusiasm for the law. Trained as a top-flight attorney, Carolyn's legal practice is aimed squarely at the needs for photographers. She understands the special issues that confront both professional and amateur photographers, and she regularly speaks and writes on the subject. Her book, "88 Secrets to the Law for Photographers," also co-written with Scott Bourne, is scheduled for release in fall 2005. On the faculty of Olympic Mountain School of Photography, Carolyn?s passion is enhanced when teaching photography. She enjoys writing and speaking on the subject, as well, and is a regular columnist for PhotoFocus, an online magazine for serious photographers. Carolyn is particularly tuned to the special interests of women in photography. She appreciates women's unique approach to the subject, and adapts her instruction accordingly. Armed with more than 20 years of general business experience and a Masters of Business Administration degree, she understands what is needed to succeed in male-dominated fields. This knowledge, combined with her training and experience as a teacher at all levels from grade school to graduate school, provides the strong foundation she uses to help others with their photography. Carolyn can be contacted at 2107 N. Decatur Rd. #117, Decatur, GA 30033 or by phone at 678.592.8025.