Getty Images charges a fee for the use of a 1953 image depicting Mau Mau detainees building a wall. Working together with the Bristol Archives in the case of this collection, Getty claims to sell services such as ‘image search tools’ and ‘research support’. These images are public domain, and in fact available for free, but as long as Getty does not charge the fee as a copyright claim, there is no legal obstacle to charging money for images to which they hold no copyright.
Elspeth Huxley, Mau Mau detainees build a dam, 1953, 1995/076/1/1/15/8.10, British Empire and Commonwealth Collection, Bristol Archives, UK public domain.
This is part our of series on 'documents' in collaboration with the-documents.org. Read the introduction here.