The American Society of Media Photographers has posted a new copyright tutorial on the public area of its web site at asmp.org/copyrightt. Although modern law gives independent photographers an automatic copyright at the moment a picture is taken, certain procedures must be followed to obtain the maximum legal protection for the photographer's rights. The tutorial details those procedures, providing step-by-step instructions and annotated sample forms.
In addition, the tutorial explores several copyright-related issues of importance to photographers, such as pictures of public buildings and the distinctions that courts use in deciding whether two images are substantially similar.