Copyrights: Pros and Cons

Nelson Provincial Museum has, on its upstairs balcony, an intriguing ceramic mural of Nelson's historic buildings' facades, most (or all) of which have been demolished. I really like it, so the other day I went to photograph it. I checked with the receptionist to make sure I was allowed, and she said, "If anybody asks, tell them I said you can." So I went my merry way.

On my way down, I noticed for the first time a stained glass window with native birds, plants, and Maori symbols above the stairway. A good NDP subject. By chance they were dismantling an exhibit upstairs, so I asked one of the workers for permission. She went to check, and told me the CEO refused, "to protect the copyright of the artist." She then politely asked what for, but she wasn't interested in my answers at all, nor was the CEO interested in speaking to me directly. (In a small place like Nelson, there is a good chance CEOs and such come out to explain.)

On the one hand, I am aware of the efforts in New Zealand to a) protect and observe copyrights in the first instance, and b) especially what belongs to the Maori people and culture; and c) the Internet is a dangerous place where evil-doers lurk to defy laws, decency and good taste, and at this stage we know little about this Blogasphere. I endorse the first two, and can understand the third, especially where children are concerned.

But this is a provincial museum, of which there are many all over New Zealand, showcasing the region's history, and sometimes, art. I would have thought they wanted visitors, and getting a picture on somewhere like a Blog read by even a small number of potential visitors might be a good thing. For them.

I came home fuming and started emailing friends, but on reflection, I'm undecided on the issue. So here's what I'm going to do: 1) I won't post the mural until I get some opinions around town, and then I might ask if I can post; 2) from 12-1pm every Friday, I'm going to carry out a vigilante watch in front of ANZ Bank across the street from the said stained glass window to make sure no unsuspecting tourist photographs the window.

*****

This afternoon I went into town and stood in front of the ANZ bank and looked up across the street at the window. I discovered they had put the stained glass 'window' behind a proper glass window, so when seen from the outside, we see a not-so-clean piece of plain glass window, with something colorful stuck inside it. My first vigilante action thus ended before it even began.