Is there a lawyer in the room?

["James Purchase" <jpurch@interlog.com>]

Robert Hudson made a very telling point in a recent message:

>copywrite: I have no problem allowing TAG or AGA to do whatever they wish
>with
>my photos as long as I am not giving up my right to do whatever I wish with
>my own
>photos

As someone who has entered his fair share of photographic competitions over
the years, I always got kind of "stuck" when the fine print of the contest
spoke about transferral of copyright over to some other organization. I can
imagine that lots of peole might feel like Robert - it's _their aquarium_
and _their photo_, so the copyright should also be _their's_.

Is there a way that we can leave the copyright of the photos with the
submitter yet still obtain the rights to publish/use the photograph in the
ways I have previously described? In that way, for example, if someone has a
smashing photo they wanted to submit they could do so, and we would be free
to use it for propmotional/other purposes while the submitter retains the
copyright and freedom to use/sell/publish/whatever his creation as well?

Anybody by chance a copyright lawyer???

James Purchase
Toronto