Dear everyone,

My understanding from whats been said both on-list and off-list.

1) The NGMPP /NGMCP project is based on an agreement between the Nepalese government and the DMG (German Oriental Society). This agreement only allows the DMG to supply copies to their own members unless permission is granted from the Nepalese government.

So presumably copies obtained by the DMG or from the DMG by its members cannot be published on the internet.

2) But in the past, copies of manuscripts from the project could be obtained by non DMG members in Kathmandu . (I've been told that has now become difficult?) Presumably copies obtained in that manner (unless something was signed by the purchaser to say otherwise) would be governed solely by international copyright law and by the Nepalese copyright act of 2002.

https://www.wipo.int/edocs/lexdocs/laws/en/np/np001en.pdf

Paragraph 14(5) of which states: The economic and moral right of a work relating to applied art and photographic work shall be protected until twenty-five years from the year of preparation of such work.

So presumably copies of NGMCP manuscripts photographed before 1997, if obtained from Kathmandu, would be in the public domain and the purchaser could publish them on the internet like any other public domain photograph or book (unless that purchaser signed something to say otherwise).

Thanks,

Harry Spier