space telescope images on the web

As a lifetime amateur astronomer and a reader on this list, I'd like
to post my first message and announce my website for
selling space telescope images. There are no religious themed
pictures, just pure science and a nice collection of public domain
images from many sources available for reasonable prices.

Go to
http://www.astrophotolab.com/welcome.htm

and use the discount code "astro2011" for 10% off through the
remainder of this year.

Comments anyone?

I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public domain. Am
I wrong?

"DaveZ" wrote in message
...
As a lifetime amateur astronomer and a reader on this list, I'd like
to post my first message and announce my website for
selling space telescope images. There are no religious themed
pictures, just pure science and a nice collection of public domain
images from many sources available for reasonable prices.

Go to
http://www.astrophotolab.com/welcome.htm

and use the discount code "astro2011" for 10% off through the
remainder of this year.

Comments anyone?

"Commentator" wrote in message
...
|I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public domain.
Am
| I wrong?

Unfortunately yes, you are wrong. It is not legal to sell copyright images
but you can sell anything or any intellectual property that is in the public
domain to anyone foolish enough to buy it. Even copyright material is
vague where the law is concerned. You may buy a book, read it and
then sell the book, but you may not make a copy of the book and sell
that. Downloading an image or a book over the internet is copying.

"Androcles" wrote in message
...

"Commentator" wrote in message
...
|I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public domain.
Am
| I wrong?

Unfortunately yes, you are wrong. It is not legal to sell copyright images
but you can sell anything or any intellectual property that is in the
public
domain to anyone foolish enough to buy it. Even copyright material is
vague where the law is concerned. You may buy a book, read it and
then sell the book, but you may not make a copy of the book and sell
that. Downloading an image or a book over the internet is copying.

Hmmm, I guess this person then is basically paying for his print cost and
maybe a little profit. I never thought about it, but if i took a high
resolution Hubble image to a print store, would they print it in the size I
wanted? I guess they would as long as it's not copyrighted.

"Commentator" wrote in message
...
|
| "Androcles" wrote in message
| ...
|
| "Commentator" wrote in message
| ...
| |I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public
domain.
| Am
| | I wrong?
|
| Unfortunately yes, you are wrong. It is not legal to sell copyright
images
| but you can sell anything or any intellectual property that is in the
| public
| domain to anyone foolish enough to buy it. Even copyright material is
| vague where the law is concerned. You may buy a book, read it and
| then sell the book, but you may not make a copy of the book and sell
| that. Downloading an image or a book over the internet is copying.
|
| Hmmm, I guess this person then is basically paying for his print cost and
| maybe a little profit. I never thought about it, but if i took a high
| resolution Hubble image to a print store, would they print it in the size
I
| wanted? I guess they would as long as it's not copyrighted.
|
That's about it, the questions are whether what he has is copyright and
what a "little" profit is. It's spam no matter what, he's using usenet for
free advertising and commercial gain.

"Commentator" wrote in
:

I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public
domain. Am I wrong?

"DaveZ" wrote in message
..
.
As a lifetime amateur astronomer and a reader on this list, I'd like
to post my first message and announce my website for
selling space telescope images. There are no religious themed
pictures, just pure science and a nice collection of public domain
images from many sources available for reasonable prices.

Go to
http://www.astrophotolab.com/welcome.htm

and use the discount code "astro2011" for 10% off through the
remainder of this year.

Comments anyone?



It's legal. What else would second-rate writers compile science picture
books with?

On 2011-10-13, Androcles wrote:

"Commentator" wrote in message
...
|I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public domain.
Am
| I wrong?

Unfortunately yes, you are wrong. It is not legal to sell copyright images
but you can sell anything or any intellectual property that is in the public
domain to anyone foolish enough to buy it. Even copyright material is
vague where the law is concerned. You may buy a book, read it and
then sell the book, but you may not make a copy of the book and sell
that. Downloading an image or a book over the internet is copying.

Charging for a downloaded digital copy would be a little ridiculous,
but a nice reproduction on paper would be worth something. You could
send a TIFF file to a graphic arts house yourself to get a print made.
Whether you would get as satisfactory poster or print is an open question.
It all depends on how good the reproductions are. Sky Publications
sells or sold prints of Hubble images. Anyone doing that would be in
good company.

Bud

On Oct 13, 5:52*pm, "Androcles" .
2011 wrote:
"Commentator" wrote in message

...
|I didn't think it was legal to sell images already in the public domain.
Am
| I wrong?

Unfortunately yes, you are wrong. It is not legal to sell copyright images
but you can sell anything or any intellectual property that is in the public
domain to anyone foolish enough to buy it. Even copyright material is
vague where the law is concerned. You may buy a book, read it and
then sell the book, but you may not make a copy of the book and sell
that. Downloading an image or a book over the internet is copying.

As a commercial photographer I am very much aware of and respect
intellectual property rights. As a photolab owner I have seen some
pretty crappy looking prints of deep space objects come out of a local
camera store or graphic arts printer. What I am doing is offering the
same images you could download yourself for sale at prices below what
the locals charge, and I take some pride in my reproductions. I am a
former chemist, science teacher, telescope builder and astronomical
society member who has morphed a science career into a photographic
career.

As far as spamming, I am not selling anything on this usenet. Just
sending a notice to people of like-minded interests about what is
available to them. If you have a need for good astronomical
reproductions, I would be more than pleased to be of service. If you
don't then forget about me.