Is it OK to win coins from a Heritage auction, and then relist those coins on eBay with the Heritage
mercurydimeguy
Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
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mercurydimeguy
Posts: 4,625 ✭✭✭✭
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Thats really buying the number when you just look at the Heritage small pictures.
As far as OK to use the pictures. Ya gotta be dumb to use them....
Ken
And Airplanenut most can't take as good of pictures as you do. Me included in that group.
I'll be honest--I think the average "poor" eBay photo is at least as telling as Heritage's pictures--they show NOTHING since they're so washed out. I'd much rather a poor attempt than a Heritage image any day...
Ethically, it's not OK to use anyone else's work, unless you have their express permission to do so.
1) Buying the coin does NOT transfer rights to the image. Someone who is a professional coin photographer, of course, has a vested interest in maintaining the copyright of their work.
2) Most sellers don't seem to care as long as you legitimately bought the coin in question and it's now yours to sell. For most people, the picture is just a tool to help sell the coin, but for some people, the picture is the "goods" themselves.
Bottom line? Most people not engaged in the coin imaging business would be willing to allow it if you ask. Some might not if they are in the coin photography business, but sometimes even they might be okay with it provided that credit is given for the picture. Depends on the situation.
I tend to take blurry pictures and I doubt if anyone would want mine. But anyone who buys any of my coins is free to use any images I've created to sell them. Then again, my pictures aren't that good, and taking coin pictures isn't a source of income for me. And at least my pictures show more "life" in the coin than Heritage's, even if they lack as much fine detail.
YJ
edited to add:BTW, I keep ALL decent pictures of coins I buy. If I plan to possibly use that picture publicly, I ask.
<< <i>Well from looking at the pictures I don't see any copy right logo's. >>
He edited them out.
<< <i>First of all you bought the coin! Unless it explicitly says not to use it, it is yours! >>
Wrong. The purchase of the coin does not grant the right to use the image. The image and the rights to it are owned by the photographer.
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>If you sold one of those coins why would you want to retain the right to the image? >>
Personally, when I sell coins I let my buyers do as they please with the images. However, that doesn't negate the fact that it is a copyright violation to do so without permission.
Russ, NCNE
Legally, it is copyright infringement if Heritage decided to enforce their rights.
Practically, Heritage has no business interest in protecting the images that they post in their auctions so they most likely will not object if their images are used without their permission. However, I do not mean to shock you but the True View pictures that people are purchasing may be a different story and are not necessarily owned by the purchaser.
Ethically, I really do not see it as a problem since Heritage most likely does not care if their pictures are used to resell a coin.
Any other questions?
<< <i>Ethically, it's not OK to use anyone else's work, unless you have their express permission to do so. >>
Umm ROBERTPR ... could you please show us your letter of authorization from Warner Brothers to use the copyrighted image of Wil E. Coyote for your avatar?