Legal: Old defunct newspaper shot

[zoobie]

Probably not the best place to ask but...
I've a old newspaper shot of myself from a small community newspaper that's been out of biz for 15 years. I was wondering if I can use this in my music video without any legal repercussions.
What do you think?

[TreeTops]

I always thought that any photo in a newspaper is free to use without repercussions. Just like videos from news broadcasts. You see them replayed on utube all day long.

[deadrats]

Probably not the best place to ask but...
I've a old newspaper shot of myself from a small community newspaper that's been out of biz for 15 years. I was wondering if I can use this in my music video without any legal repercussions.
What do you think?

here's the practical answer: f*ck 'em, it's a picture of you, taken as a work for hire, by a photographer for a news entity that no longer exists.

in all honesty i don't think the paper could have claimed a copyright on your likeness even when they were still in business let alone now, but even if some silly claim could still be made, who cares, it's not like there's anyone that can sue you.

[jagabo]

in all honesty i don't think the paper could have claimed a copyright on your likeness even when they were still in business let alone now

All photographs are copyright by the photographer (or in the case of a work for hire, the newspaper) the moment they are taken. Regardless of what they are of, who is in them, or whether they were published or not.

Of course, as a practical matter, it's not likely a newspaper that has been defunct for 15 years (or photographer that took the picture if he was a free agent) is likely to chase you down. Unless your DVD becomes a best seller and they smell money.

[lowellriggsiam]

I took criminal justice in college years ago. The Digital millennium Ultimately itself is a wonky thing. Ultimately it'd would have to be worth somebodys time to go after you.

[hech54]

Probably not the best place to ask but...
I've a old newspaper shot of myself from a small community newspaper that's been out of biz for 15 years. I was wondering if I can use this in my music video without any legal repercussions.
What do you think?

here's the practical answer: f*ck 'em, it's a picture of you

I agree.

[Gavino]

I always thought that any photo in a newspaper is free to use without repercussions. Just like videos from news broadcasts. You see them replayed on utube all day long.

Not so. People put lots of things on Youtube that they don't own the rights to.

[lordsmurf]

I always thought that any photo in a newspaper is free to use without repercussions. Just like videos from news broadcasts. You see them replayed on utube all day long.

You thought wrong.