Legal

Approximately a year ago, an auction of William Eggleston's work fetched $5.9 million at Christie's — but what was interesting was not just the huge price these scant 36 images fetched, but that they were large, digital prints rather than the traditional dye-transfer process Eggleston originally used. However, one collector of Eggleston's earlier work brought suit against the artist for printing more of what were originally sold as "limited editions."

The world of image copyrights is a murky one, but Canadian photographers have just won a major victory in retaining their rights. A newly passed law ensures that shooters own the copyright to the image, even if the photo was commissioned by another party. That means that if you're hired to do shooting work, you own the image, not the people you shot it for.

Shepard Fairey, the iconic street artist, received sentencing earlier this week related to charges surrounding the incredibly famous Hope image of Barack Obama. Fairey was in a protracted legal battle with the Associated Press, the original source of the image, who wanted compensation for the use of their photo.

It seems like every day or two we hear a story about a photographer getting hassled for taking photos in a totally legal way. Now, a new directive has been issued to the police force of Washington DC, and it clearly outlines that people have the right to record the police.The directive is available online here, and Chief of Police Cathy Lanier has explained that yes, it's totally legal to record them, and that they can't tell you to erase the footage.