date
Artist's Name
Address
City, State Zip
Dear Artist:
Joslyn Art Museum recently [purchased/acquired by gift/whatever] your {work}, [title]. We are delighted to add this work to our permanent collection, where it will be a source of enlightenment and enjoyment for our audience.
As you know, the Copyright Act of 1976 protects your right to retain exclusive copyright on the works you have created on or after January 1, 1978. Your copyright extends for life plus fifty years, unless you grant these privileges to another person or agency, or lose copyright through improper publication.
The difficulty for museums with this law is that it inhibits us from reaching our audiences through the usual educational channels. Without your permission, for example, Joslyn cannot legally publish educational books, exhibition catalogues, gallery guides, or videotapes that reproduce copyrighted works. The same is true for newsletters, exhibition announcements, and media-covered events in which your work may appear. Further, we cannot authorize other museums wishing to borrow your work to reproduce it for the same purposes. Under the current law, Joslyn would have to seek your permission each time it wished to reproduce your work for non-commercial purposes. An inability to secure your permission in advance of a deadline would result in the exclusion of your work from publication.
By understanding our need to responsibly reproduce your work, we hope that you will consider granting Joslyn a non- exclusive copyright license covering the purposes described above [and on the attached Non-exclusive Copyright Agreement]. This transfer is mutually beneficial since it allows us to present your work in a number of aesthetic and educational contexts to as broad an audience as possible.
Please be assured that this agreement does not cover reproduction for purposes that are essentially commercial: e.g., postcards, stationery, frameable reproductions, posters, and the like. Such requests would be negotiated separately with you or your authorized representatives.
We hope that you will favorably review our request. If so, please sign the enclosed agreement and return it in the envelope provided; the second copy is for your files. Also, do not hesitate to call if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Penelope M. Smith
Registrar
encl.
NON-EXCLUSIVE COPYRIGHT AGREEMENT
I hereby acknowledge that I am the sole copyright proprietor of the following work.
I hereby transfer and assign permanent, non-exclusive copyright to the above said work, whether or not perfected, to the Joslyn Art Museum. The non-exclusive copyright does not allow reproduction for commercial purposes. The non-exclusive copyright shall be in the name of the Joslyn Art Museum, with all such rights, title(s) and use as the copyright law of the United States of 1976 (Law #94-553) specifies, to include the right to photographically reproduce the work for non-commercial exhibition and educational purposes. The non-exclusive copyright may be extended by the Joslyn Art Museum to allow other institutions or businesses to photographically reproduce the work for non-commercial exhibition and educational purposes. I hereby waive, relinquish and remise any and all claims, demands, suits, causes of action, at law or in equity, which are, or may in the future be, in any way connected with or related to the use of the work to the extent permitted by law.
Signed:________________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________________
I agree to allow screen resolution (non-reproductive quality) internet use of the above work.
Signed:________________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________________