
In Blackbeard Pirate Ship Case, Supreme Court Scuttles Copyright Claims - pseudolus
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/24/820381016/in-blackbeard-pirate-ship-case-supreme-court-scuttles-copyright-claims
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rbanffy
Having been paid with public funds, shouldn't the work be in public domain?

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mikro2nd
Having been paid to do the work, wouldn't it be classed as a "work for hire"
so not eligible for him to copyright in the first place? (Not sure how US law
stacks up on this issue.)

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webmaven
If Allen (the videographer) was an employee of the salvage company, sure. He
was almost certainly an independent contractor though and who knows what the
terms of his contract were (or, for that matter, what the terms were of the
contract between the salvage company and the government).

