Document Type

Working Paper

Publication Date

11-14-2012

SSRN Discipline

Legal Scholarship Network; Social Insurance Research Network; Law School Research Papers - Legal Studies; Law & Society eJournals; Law & Society: Public Law eJournals; Antitrust & Regulated Industries eJournals; LSN Subject Matter eJournals; Innovation Disciplines eJournals; IRPN Subject Matter eJournals; Intellectual Property Law eJournals; Political Science Network; Innovation Research & Policy Network

Abstract

Art has the power to stir our emotions evoke a physical response and transport us to a different world It can inspire and transform us For all of those precious qualities the public relies upon knowing that once the artist's exclusive rights to the artwork elapse the "art must ultimately belong to us all" The notion that artwork eventually belongs to the public is paramount because art like books and music represents a collective experience that helps define what it means to be human Thus once the artist has enjoyed her exclusive rights to that art it should belong to no one individual but to everyone This article argues that Corbis's copyright claim in its digitized reproductions of public domain art is suspect and concludes by discussing the ramifications for the public domain when Corbis asserts copyright protection for its public domain digital copies Given the power and influence that Bill Gates and his company Corbis have on the market for public domain art it behooves the public to be aware of this issue

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