Since that image is copyrighted, I hope the copyright owner (the state of Georgia) sues Trump for all the money he made selling merch with that photo to rubes like you.
@jackjjackson Incorrect. Copyrighted material may be published as a news item without placing it in the public domain. Try selling an image of Mickey Mouse you copied off the internet and see what happens.
@jackjjackson Correct. But you don't automatically own every photo of you. In the state of Georgia, the copyright for mug shots is owned by the state, not the accused felon. You automatically waive your right to your photo under the law. You may not agree with this, but your argument is with the Georgia legislature, not me.
The question is whether the state will enforce the copyright. I don't think they will, but they could.
@jackjjackson Just admit that you're ignorant on this topic. Let me guess, you didn't bother to read the article which explains it.
OK, now it's your turn to post a credible source that says Georgia mugshots, once published, are in the public domain. Since you don't live here, you probably aren't aware that all mugshots in Georgia are "published" by posting them on the internet.
“But it’s also reasonable to think that the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office might think, you know, this is a public document, it belongs to the world in a way, [the] copyright belongs to us,” Rosenblatt explained to Spectrum. “But the news about it belongs to the world. And we’re not going to undertake the expense and trouble of hiring copyright counsel and sending out takedowns and cease and desist and letters, or in lawsuits.”
@jackjjackson He's basically saying that it is copyrighted, but they'll make an exception in this case, and besides, it's too much trouble to sue Trump over this anyway. He's also just opining what the Fulton County Sheriff's Office might have concluded.
But thank you for showing that I'm correct. There's a difference between "public domain" and "fuck it, it's not worth it to go after this."
@jackjjackson No, it's not in the public domain. The state isn't going to waste time suing Trump over this. So it's another crime he'll get away with. He won't get away with all of them.
@jackjjackson Mickey Mouse is everywhere and it's not in the public domain. Taylor Swift songs are everywhere, and they're not in the public domain. Try setting up a Spotify account and posting Taylor Swift songs that you will get paid for if people listen to them, and see what happens. "But they must be in the public domain, they're everywhere" isn't a defense.
The quote you provided opined that the State of Georgia won't go after Trump for copyright violation. That doesn't mean it isn't a copyright violation, it means he will get away with it because the copyright owner isn't going to enforce its copyright.
@jackjjackson Any mug shot is available. That doesn't mean it's in the public domain. I can listen to a Taylor Swift song but I can't charge other people to listen to it. Anyone can download Trump's mug, including you, me, or him; they just can't sell it.
I don't know why it's so hard for you to understand this. Here's a copyrighted image of Mickey Mouse. It's not a problem for me to download it and display it here. What I can't do is print it on a t-shirt and sell it.
@jackjjackson A copyright has to be enforced by the copyright owner. The fact that a copyright owner doesn't enforce violations doesn't mean something isn't copyrighted.
@jackjjackson Patents are for inventions - products or processes. Copyright is broader and covers artwork and intellectual property, like Trump's mugshot. But if you think a copyright has "no value in the real world," burn some copies of Frozen and sell them on Ebay and see what happens.
