It is distributed electronically by the online members of ASMP, as a service and a guide to creators, buyers and users of intellectual property. Reproduction and distribution of this document for non-commercial use is encouraged. Reproduction must remain intact, as a complete whole, and including this notice.
Copyrights can be valuable intangible assets.
The Copyright Act of 1976 made clear that photographers are the copyright owners of their images, except when those images were made as an employee, or when the photographer has conveyed the copyright to another party in a written and signed agreement. In an effort to enhance understanding of copyright, ASMP has developed this mini-guide on the subject. This pamphlet is not a legal guide to the subject. Instead it is intended to give you a fundamental understanding of the subject of copyright and how it applies in your profession. This right begins at the moment you fix your photographic expression in a tangible form, that is, when you create the latent image on film.