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Hi Folks,
Darius has suggested that the following short article which appeared in
"Cartographiti" No.36 (December 1993) might be worth reproducing for the
benefit of all MAPS-L people. It concerns the issue of copyright:
 
        WHAT THE PAPERS SAID
 
        Just one item has found its way to the editorial desk, taken from the
        "Daily telegraph" of 13th October 1993. Entitled "Map-makers survey
        soft porn profits", Michael Fleet's article is worth reproducing at
        length as a reminder of how thorough the OS's copyright policing
        operation has become in this commercial age.
 
                "Ordnance Survey cartographers are to claim royalties from the
                producers of a soft-porn film, "Suburban Housewives II",
                because the video cover features a map. An employee spotted one
                of the organisation's 1:50000 scale maps on the cover of the
                video....
                ...."No permission had been granted to use the map. We will be
                seeking royalties depending on the number of copies of this
                video produced", a spokeswoman said. "Our maps do turn up in
                the most extraordinary places and we have to defend our
                copyright", she added."
 
        Any MCG [Map Curators' Group] members who have seen the video and wish
        to submit a critical analysis of the Landranger's artistic impact on
        the plot for the benefit of fellow readers are encouraged to send their
        reviews to "Cartographiti". Anonymity will, of course, be protected.
 
Any comments folks?
 
Nick Millea
Bodleian Library, Oxford
tel: =44 865 277013; fax +44 865 277182; email [log in to unmask]