Good point Doug, since the negative was first used in England I hold that it was an English invention, as to who owns the negative I'm unsure though I think in France it belonged to the owner of that which was photographed. Marvin. From: rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Don Williams Sent: 03 December 2009 08:07 To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [rollei_list] Re: Copyright Law - in France and the EU At 06:00 PM 12/2/2009, Marvin wrote: Emmanuel, good to know that we have members from France on the list. I wonder if you know that when photography was invented, in England and a year or so later in France, that if one took a photograph the print was the property of the person who owned that which was photographed, and not the photographer. Marvin. Reminds me of the stories I used to read in National Geographic about some natives in un-developed countries who wouldn't allow their pictures to be taken because the picture would capture their spirit. I suppose those days are over. A second thought- if a negative was involved in the photo process at that time, who owned the negative? DAW