Thomas Hawk – Miami’s World Erotic Art Museum Fraudulently Uses the DMCA to Take Down Items in Their Collection From the Web

While this is troubling to me personally, I’m even more troubled by the precedent that it sets and am going to try and fight this takedown of my photos. While a museum may object to their work being shown online, misusing the DMCA by submitting a sworn statement under perjury that they own copyright on 100% of the items in their collection is an abuse of the DMCA. The DMCA is meant to give content creators (not physical content owners) an ability to remove their copyrighted work from the web. While a museum may own paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc. It generally speaking does not own copyright on these items. Copyright is generally retained by the original creator of a work. By taking down my entire set of images from the museum’s collection, they are asserting ownership of copyright that they do not have. The collection includes works by people like Picasso for example. I guarantee you the museum does not hold copyright over the Picasso in their collection.

via Thomas Hawk – Miami’s World Erotic Art Museum Fraudulently Uses the DMCA to Take Down Items in Their Collection From the Web. Another in a long list of DMCA abuses.