I have a web-site called Burlington Vermont area Public Events and Photo Gallery, at http://www.burlingtonvt.org, which I am applied for a name change to "Burlington Web Magazine"

The question is: Is there a good lay person's resource for Vermont and U.S. laws regarding the photographing and publishing of people's pictures. I am hearing enough conflicting word of mouth information that I am beginning to wonder if people aren't telling what they would like the law to be.

1. I have heard you don't need any permission for pictures if it is a group of people or it is an event. 2. I have heard that you can not take a picture without permission. Doing so is a violation of privacy. Oddly enough the person was talking about a picture I took of him on Church Street at his Bible booth in Burlington Vermont. 3. I have heard you don't need permission if the picture was taken at a public event 4. I have heard you can ALWAYS take pictures unless you are invading a person's privacy, but can't publish with permission. 5. I have heard that you can publish if it is newsworthy, regardless of whether you have their permission. 6. I have heard that you HAVE to have written permission to publish ANYTHING, ANYWHERE. In the event that it is a group of people, you must have every person sign the release form. 7. I have heard that the photos published are automatically considered copyright by the photographer. 8. I have heard you can not copyright a photograph with the written permission of everyone in the photograph. 9. I have heard anything on the web is free domain, so I give up any copyright, just by putting the photograph on the web.

Oh and here's a cute one:

One of my photographs is being used as someone else' logo, without my permission. When I asked for credit he said there is no issue, I took the photo without his permission, published without his permission, and he doesn't need permission to use it. The logo is at the top of every page of Burlington Street Ministries

-- Clyde Moore (clydemoore@burlingtonvt.org), February 02, 2000