Re: [HM] Stamps on the Web
Robin Wilson (r.j.wilson@open.ac.uk)
Sun, 3 Jan 1999 12:48:18 +0000
Stamps on the Web
According to the copyright department at the Open University, the situation
is not clear cut, but the following is certainly the case.
The British post office owns the copyright on UK stamps and requires one to
obtain permission before reproducing any. If a stamp image is used for
educational purposes (eg in a book) there is no fee, provided that it is in
black and white, or if in colour has a defacing bar or be at least 150% or
at most 75% in (linear) size. But permission is meant to be obtained (in
particular for the NET) and acknowledged.
Similar rules apply, I have been informed, for US stamps. I do not know
about the situation concerning other countries.
My guess is that most stamp magazines and many stamp vendors have made
special arrangements to reproduce stamp images.
So although the official rules are widely flouted, they do exist and one
should be aware of them.
Robin Wilson
> My initial reaction is that this is no special area of concern. Keep in
> mind that hundreds of stamp vendors post their stamps throughout
> many sites on the internet. Those who patronize internet vendors
> like, e.g., eBay, know this from experience.
>
> Unless the material is copyrighted, and acknowledged as such, it is
> probably like any other medium, and in the public domain. So the
> concerned should beware before they post; the internet is an open
> domain, and some people will take without rendering credit.
>
> If there are legal issues, I'm not aware of them - at least for the US.
> Readers are encouraged to comment.
>
> Robin Wilson's column in the Math. Intelligencer has earned him the
> respect of many, myself included. In fact, my interest in mathematical
> philately began with his material.
>
> Al Barron
> Metuchen, New Jersey