Interesting Infringement Rights..... a must read !

So What Do You Think ?
Jon Snow points us to the story of a photographer who discovered that a photograph he took of a cowboy hoisting a saddle is being used as the background image on approximately 4.5 million inspection stickers:

According to the report, the state had prison inmates create the stickers, and one simply scanned the image out of a "Texas Parks & Wildlife" magazine and used it as the background image. The photographer tried to get the state to pay up, but it refused, leading to the lawsuit. As Snow notes, this certainly might make you wonder what the statutory damages would be on 4.5 million instances of infringement? Of course, some of this may depend on the terms under which the original photo was licensed for the magazine (and if the magazine is a state run operation). Also, I could see the state claiming "sovereign immunity," which has become popular for state governments when they're accused of patent and copyright infringement claims. You see kids, when governments infringe, it's no big deal. But when regular everyday citizens do so, they should be forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars, apparently. Seems perfectly fair, right?

i have to agree. Many times it is okay for the government to do whatever, but don't let a citizen do it, or they will be in big trouble. Shouldn't the government hold itself up to the high standards it expects of its' citizens!

First it is a very pretty picture.

And second wow, I can't wait to hear the outcome of the case.

"The people should not fear their government, the government should fear it's people."

Somewhere we have lost this feeling, but in reality we are bigger than they are and if we all worked together, they would eventually have to listen. So frustrating...

Wow, that stinks for the photographer

Ohhh wow... what a booger that situation is!

hmmm, sounds interesting. Would love to know the result

Hello! They're inmates, they're not going to ask for permission to use the image... they're going to steal it! Can't they learn how to knit or something instead?

I think that's a bunch of crap
There are laws and rules for a reason...and it really makes me kinda mad when certain people don't have to follow them (in this instance the Government...) I would love to hear how this one plays out too...

I don't know why this surprises me....Kinda like the gov't asking us to make cuts, but are they doing the same to help balance the budget? ummm, no!