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German photographer Ralph Schrade persistently submits his claims aimed at Georgian press to judicial instances. He considers that the law of copyright has been violated in respect to him and demands financial compensation for using his photos of Georgian artifacts and Churches on websites of Georgian Patriarchy, of Abkhazian Autonomous Republic, as well as in books and school manuals. “Blagovest-info” informs that Mr. Schrade is claiming against “Dzertanodji”, “Bakmi”, “Sakartvelos matsne” publishing companies, as well as against National Center of history and preservation of monuments named after G. Chubinashvili, materials and archives of which were used by Schrade himself.
Heads of the above-mentioned organizations refuse to admit any guilt. Thus, Georgy Kalandia, Deputy Director of National Center named after G. Chubinashvili, representative of “Artanudji” publishing company in his interview given to “The whole week” daily stated that in the second half of the last century Schrade visited Georgia, traveled in the country, took pictures of Georgian Monasteries, Churches and other cultural memorials and took the photos out of the country.
In 1977 by request of the Leipzig publishing company “Seemann” a book on history of Georgian art by art critics Rusudan Mepisashvili and Vakhtang Tsintsadze was prepared. This book included photo materials by Schrade ordered by the same publishing company. This book has become the case at law. According to the claim, photos of Georgian Churches taken by Schrade were used in this publication, whereas his copyright was not maintained.
The copyright claimant demands EUR100-500 for each photo, compensation for his shoes worn out during journeys on foot, as well as for breaking his diet by Georgian side.
According to Kalandia, the defendants are not going to satisfy Schrade’s demands, since according to Georgian and international legislation, the matter at hand is “photo-fixation”, and not the question of artistic expression, because a photographic image is not recognized by law as the fruit of individual intellectual creativity and there is no copyright law to protect it.
“Cynical demand of Schrade to pay him for his worn out shoes, on the contrary, can make us bring a suit against him on applying moral pressure”, marked Georgy Kalandia.
by
German Avagyan
at
Thu Feb 07 08:59:09 UTC 2008
(ed. Feb 7 2008)
Tbilisi,
Georgia
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