Alan, Let's think about what you want to do. You found some pictures, and now you want to "control" their use. You did NOT create these images. You simply found them. Why do you think YOU should have any control of the images. That is not to say you do not currently own the physical photographs. They do have antique value. But for you, that is their only value. And there is value in very old images. But since you are not the creator, why do you feel you should have any other control over their use other than their physical possession? Copyright/patent laws are to protect the rights of those who intellectually created something. In this case, you did not. There are also limits to the creativity protection, as the government, wise or not, feels that there is public good involved allowing history to pass without penalty to the populace once the creator has had a chance to financially capitalize of their creations. You, in this case, have no original creation. You do have pieces of history. You do have antiques with some intrinsic value because of age. I am having difficulty understanding why you feel you should have any right to "control over their use." This kind of material should be allowed to pass gracefully into the public domain. What is wrong with allowing these photographs to be placed on the Web, or anywhere, so we can all look, appreciate and possibly learn a bit about history or even photography from viewing them? But you have started a very interesting topic. I hope others put in their thoughts. Intellectual property law is written, but not settled. I have no idea where it will be in 5, 10 and 20 years. It is only through debate and looking at the issue from all angles that intelligence can prevail in future changes to the law. Thanks for bringing this up. peace, rand
