I have changed my thread title to include NH69729. From now on it is entirely acceptable to discuss these two closely time-related photographs together. This applies retrospectively.
Mr Bonomi had realised that his conjectural tracks were simply wrong in March this year after maintaining their inviolability for about a decade, and started messing about with both his invented track for Bismarck and the Gefechtskizze track when confronted with the evidence from these photographs alone. He had no choice because these photos were in the public domain, but he could withhold access to other photographs in his possession so as to hamper other potential contributors. As such his conjectural map for the German forces at Denmark Strait was rendered non-definitive in March this year, by his own admission.
I respect this observation although I am much intrigued by it. I am astonished Herr Nilsson was not intrigued enough to find out why. Why in about 2009, his friend is enjoining him to keep these images secret nearly 70 years after they were made? Does somebody really think some newspaper is going to pay a fortune for them one day when the time is right? Like the bogus Hitler Diaries? Is an author dreaming he will show "a New Perspective" without reversing the images? If this friend hasn't done anything with them 10 years later, when is he going to try and monetise them? Maybe as a retirement nest egg? If he's not quick Mr Bonomi may render them worthless because if they are not unique but merely withheld they are not truly his.I don't know the reasons, I just know my promise. I'm sorry, my hands are tied.
To my mind any copyright on the majority of the published photos lies with Propaganda Kompanie of the defunct Third Reich and any ownership claim by either the Bundesarchiv or the US Naval History and Heritage command is surely tendentious. There surely cannot be any contract transferring their ownership. The Federal German government can surely not claim ownership of everything "owned" by the Nazi Regime since these include artworks looted from all over Europe. The US government merely got a load of photographs included with a free heavy cruiser. Paul Schmalenbach put his name to pictures which were not his, but he got access to, merely by being a crew member. Maybe Fritz Dungert just supplied a print of existing material he got access to as a crew member and now AP wants to charge for access to it.
These official bodies claim "reproduction charges" by virtue of having the highest quality originals/near originals and demand a credit on use in publications. In the age of the Internet with easy and untraceable image exchange such a cartel must soon collapse.
Unpublished photos have some copyright protection, under the Berne Convention, provided ownership can be proven, but for photos from 1941 that would be difficult and copyright runs out 25 years after creation.
I'm quite happy to be called a virulent catalyst for discussion.
All the best
wadinga