I would say this is copyrights 101.


What is public domain?

What can be copyrighted?

What cannot be copyrighted?

When does a work become public domain?


Some answers @
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/25/cnbc-explains-how-copyrights-become-public-domain.html?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity

Ok so they say, "works of the U.S. Gov", yet NASA asserts it holds copyrights to space images. Such as those taken by Hubble for example.

I know of at least one artist who had NASA on their case because they created some works, using hubble images, and were selling them.

Even though the imagery they used was only used as the background, and not even the main focus of the work really. NASA sent them a C and D and threatened them with legal action for using the images without the express permission of Johnson Space Center.

It was farcical really walks, as at the time, NASA's own website stated in their copyright policy page, that the images are free for use, in the public domain by U.S. citizens.

(Because technically U.S. citizen's own NASA, and Hubble)