image accessibility related article

I've seen it mentioned on the list that images are tagged for
recognition in html ( or something to this effect). The following
AltaVista service sounds like a useful alternative, or a potential model
for a solution.


the following is from E-LAW UPDATE #7
                   by David J. Loundy and Blake A. Bell
                             November 18, 1998

All 43 issues of Bell Cyberlaw Update and all prior issues of E-Law
Update
are available, in English, via a Swedish Web site located at
http://www.cyberlaw.se/english/nyhetsbr1.htm.  Please note that the home
page for the Updates now appears entirely in English and the Updates are
full text searchable.  Issues of E-Law Update are also available, in
French, at http://www.digiplace.com/e-law/.

INTERNET COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK LAW:  E-Law Update readers will recall
that, several weeks ago, AltaVista announced that it launched a new
service
called AV Photo Finder.  See E-Law Update #6 (Part I),
http://www.cyberlaw.se/english/Elaw-I/6.htm.  The service reportedly
finds
photographs on the Web based upon the viewer's search criteria.  So, for
example, if a user types in the words "Mickey Mouse," the search engine
delivers Web pages containing copyrighted images of Mickey Mouse from
third-party sites that may or may not have permission to use the
copyrighted images.  In an "investigatory" article, 7am News claimed
that
it had obtained legal advice that "there is a strong argument that
AltaVista's own use of 3rd-party images in this way represents a breach
of
copyright law."  See
http://7am.com/cgi-bin/twires.cgi?1000_t9810140.htm.
An attorney for Leslie A. Kelly of California-based Les Kelly
Enterprises
reportedly has issued a notice to Compaq Computer Company, its AltaVista
Search Engine, and Virage, Inc. alleging copyright and trademark
infringement arising out of the AV Photo Finder service.  On July 29,
1998,
AltaVista announced an agreement with Virage and with Corbis, a
photograph
supplier service with an inventory of more than 23 million images of
which
approximately 1.4 million are available online.  The agreement provided
for
a merger of the companies' image databases into the AV Photo Finder with
more than ten million images online.  Kelly claims that one or more of
the
companies "sought out his and apparently millions of other images posted
in
personal and company Internet web sites and placed them on the" AV Photo
Finder Web site without his or others' permission.  Kelly claims that he
has discovered that his copyrighted photography and trademarked slogan
"Show Me The Gold" were copied from his Web site.  Kelly further alleges
that a disclaimer at the site urging viewers who would like to use
images
found through the service to "contact the owner of the images and ask
for
the appropriate permission or authorization" is inadequate.  Kelly makes
an
exception for "Corbis whose material is clearly displayed with copyright
notification".   See
http://7am.com/cgi-bin/twires.cgi?1000_t9810290.htm.

Received on Thursday, 17 December 1998 18:22:50 UTC