OLD PAINTINGS = PUBLIC DOMAIN

e the laws for old artwork in h: Im just wondering what ar necessary copyright? Ive heard Dear Ric ld the which no existing estate may ho to use an image of the Mona Lisa for d that Dan Brown wasnt allowe g the Louvre a hefty fee. In my case, The Da Vinci Code without payin nus from Botticellis painting The Ve Im looking to use the face of lf-published fiction books, and I was Birth Of Venus for one of my se gally do that, or would I be required le wondering if Id be allowed to Florence to ask permission? in to contact the Uffizi gallery

Yes, you can use Botticelli's Birth of Venus . Museums have argued for years that photographs of SUCH paintings were protected under copyright, thus enabling them to control everything from postcard sales to artbook licensing. That ended in 1999 when a court ruled that "slavish reproductions" of visual works in the public domain are not copyrightable.

Foot fetishistS are free to copy just the feet

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