Posted by R. Oelerich on September 14, 1997 at 05:59:37:
I have created a set of 35mm photographs from a bunch of x-rays that are in a closet at the college where I teach. The xrays were taken of patients, were donated to the college, and are large normal xray sheets. Are my photos mine, and hence my intellectual property? It seems to me the xrays are not original "works" since they were merely procedures done on patients, much like a blood test (obviously not copyrighted). I composed the photos, did exposures, etc on films that were merely patient test recordings. Any comments as to whether I have violated copyright? The xrays were never registered as copyright, do not list any authors, and I keep patient names out of the photos.
Any comments, + or - appreciated!