postcard.co.uk

This has probably been covered so please excuse repetition if it has.

Someone I know has purchased a WW1 postcard and claims that he now owns the copyright. I am doubtful if this is the case.

Can anyone comment?

It's just a photographer or artist who owns the rights to their cards. He may have sold the rights to a publisher

If you are in the UK then the link below explains the law. As stated above, the copyright is held by the originator of the item or, if the originator worked for or sold the rights on, the publisher. Copyright does lapse after some years, for most items in the UK it's 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author/owner of the work dies, there are some exceptions and the rules differ by country.

It's all explained here
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/copy.htm

and there is a summary fact sheet here
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyr ... yright_law

Kenneth and Linda

Thank you.