6th June 2010, 09:40 PM
I think it's a very grey area, and will never be satisfactorially resolved.
As you say commercial use of the data brings so much innovative (well sometimes) use of it, and can be enterprising. However, if you don't licence commercial use, then that's a big portion of revenue gone.
With regards to submitted photo's that's also tricky. I'd imagine the best situation would be that photographs and so forth that are added to the NMR through the ascension of collections (after a major photographer, archaeologist, architect pass on, or firms go bust etc.) would become property of the said NMR and thus they can charge for them. However photographs that are submitted either as part of a report or site archive, or from a general submition (as I believe you can do through CANMORE) the copyright would still be that of the submittee, and thus couldnt be sold on without royalties?
As you say commercial use of the data brings so much innovative (well sometimes) use of it, and can be enterprising. However, if you don't licence commercial use, then that's a big portion of revenue gone.
With regards to submitted photo's that's also tricky. I'd imagine the best situation would be that photographs and so forth that are added to the NMR through the ascension of collections (after a major photographer, archaeologist, architect pass on, or firms go bust etc.) would become property of the said NMR and thus they can charge for them. However photographs that are submitted either as part of a report or site archive, or from a general submition (as I believe you can do through CANMORE) the copyright would still be that of the submittee, and thus couldnt be sold on without royalties?