The Professional Photographer's Legal Handbook - (Malestrom)

As the book’s title suggests, we’ll mostly be concerned with how copyright and photography interact. Photographs and other forms of visual images are protected under Section 102(5) of the Act, which refers to “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.” As such, the copyright holder in a photograph is afforded a package of rights divided into several classes commonly known as: reproduction rights, adaptation rights, distribution rights, and performance and display rights. Yet in order to enjoy these rights, the would-be copyright holder has to first satisfy the “original work of authorship” and “fixed in a tangible medium” requirements.