Hi Liz, A lot really depends on the length of the article that you're copying - if it's a really large amount of text then you should really contact the author / publisher asking for permission. No matter which way you go, any reference to the text should include full details of the source - title, author, publisher etc. An alternative is to write the story of the voyage in your own words with small quotes from the text where the original words add real meaning / value to the description. Again you should quote details of the source. There is no problem sending an account to the other researcher but you need to warn them of the same issues. The other item to look at is when was this book published? A general rule of thumb is that copyright lasts "from the time the material is created until 50 years after the year of the creator's death" (from Australian Copyright Council web site - see below). This is only a GENERAL rule of thumb and there are plenty of exceptions. And even if the publication is no longer covered by copyright it is still important to fully acknowledge the source. The Australian Copyright Council web site is at ........ http://www.copyright.org.au/ The Information Sheets are excellent and you should look at the relevant ones. Although most people would say their web site was not for profit so the rules don't apply, by putting the information on a web page you are PUBLISHING it and therefore the rules do apply. Unfortunately some people then think they can copy your web page and use it freely as it is in the "Public Domain" - this is a serious and wrong interpretation of "public domain"! As I said, publishing on the web is no different to publishing in a book and so the same copyright rules apply. There is a major review of copyright laws applying to digital images and files being undertaken by Museums Australia, the major libraries and various other bodies - but it could be a long time before these issues are resolved, in the meantime apply the rules as laid out in the guidelines by the Australia Copyright Council. Hope that helps - a bit long and convoluted - but as you're probably aware, copyright issues are complicated AND important, so congratulations on taking them into account - a lot of people prefer to ignore them and do a lot of damage. Regards ...... Susie Z ----- Original Message ----- From: "Liz Denten" <lizbethd@optushome.com.au> To: <AUS-VIC-GEELONG-DISTRICT-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 11:43 AM Subject: [GEELONG] Copyright Laws > Hi Susie & Listers, > I found a very interesting account of my ancestors voyage in a book at the library. If I take information from the book and publish it, say on a webpage, am I in breach of the copyright ? I think I am, but the reason I ask is that another researcher has asked me to send them the details of the voyage, as it also involves one of their ancestors. This person intends to add it to their webpage, giving me the credit for it. I don't want to breach the copyright, especially as I have already written to the publisher about the information contained in the book. I'm sure Suzie knows the answer to this one but if anyone else has input, please feel free. Thanks, > Liz > BTW The voyage is that of the "British Empire" in 1849. If anyone had ancestors on this ship, the story is a very interesting one! >

Thanks Suzie, the one on family history was especially interesting and relevant. Handy site to bookmark. Linda > The Australian Copyright Council web site is at ........ > > http://www.copyright.org.au/ > > The Information Sheets are excellent and you should look at the relevant > ones. >

That was an excellent reply, Susie. Kindest Regards ...... Corinne in Melbourne, Australia. > Hi Liz, > > A lot really depends on the length of the article that you're copying - if > it's a really large amount of text then you should really contact the author > / publisher asking for permission. No matter which way you go, any > reference to the text should include full details of the source - title, > author, publisher etc. > > An alternative is to write the story of the voyage in your own words with > small quotes from the text where the original words add real meaning / value > to the description. Again you should quote details of the source. > > There is no problem sending an account to the other researcher but you need > to warn them of the same issues. > > The other item to look at is when was this book published? A general rule > of thumb is that copyright lasts "from the time the material is created > until 50 years after the year of the creator's death" (from Australian > Copyright Council web site - see below). This is only a GENERAL rule of > thumb and there are plenty of exceptions. And even if the publication is no > longer covered by copyright it is still important to fully acknowledge the > source. > > The Australian Copyright Council web site is at ........ > > http://www.copyright.org.au/ > > The Information Sheets are excellent and you should look at the relevant > ones. > > Although most people would say their web site was not for profit so the > rules don't apply, by putting the information on a web page you are > PUBLISHING it and therefore the rules do apply. Unfortunately some people > then think they can copy your web page and use it freely as it is in the > "Public Domain" - this is a serious and wrong interpretation of "public > domain"! As I said, publishing on the web is no different to publishing in > a book and so the same copyright rules apply. > > There is a major review of copyright laws applying to digital images and > files being undertaken by Museums Australia, the major libraries and various > other bodies - but it could be a long time before these issues are resolved, > in the meantime apply the rules as laid out in the guidelines by the > Australia Copyright Council. > > Hope that helps - a bit long and convoluted - but as you're probably aware, > copyright issues are complicated AND important, so congratulations on taking > them into account - a lot of people prefer to ignore them and do a lot of > damage. > > Regards ...... Susie Z > >