>From what I understand from my attorney is that you can copyright your compilation but not the facts. Compilation Copyrights are the order in which you put things. Belinda [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: Lorine McGinnis Schulze <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 4:32 PM Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? >My husband is a lawyer. > >Copyright laws of course do not apply to a link but they DO apply >to the organization of a set of links, to the coding used to display >them, to the creative display around such links, etc. > >I do not wish to discuss Cyndi's site as it is not mine but The Olive >Tree information is information that I collect, transcribe, and labour >over for hours deciding how it will be displayed on my pages. I own >the copyright to that-- to the coding, the page itself, the layout of >the page on which the material resides, the order in which the >material appears and to the personal research notes and additional >materials I have added to the original records. > >So -- if I transcribe a ship's passenger list -- the names of the >passengers are not copyright to me but the way I have set that >page up to display the material, the extra information I have added, >the organization of my materials, and so on -- ARE. > >Anyone who takes my work and attempts to pawn it off as their >own will be in for quite a surprise if they try to claim that they >personally transcribed it. Why? Because, as I noted in my previous >emails, those of us who work this hard to assist the genealogical >community have methods in place to prove that a page in its >entirety was lifted. > >Lorine > >Date forwarded: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 12:39:02 -0700 (PDT) >From: "Charlotte ~" <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? >Date sent: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 12:38:55 PDT >To: [email protected] >Forwarded by: [email protected] > >> I'm a lawyer and I handle copyright cases.... >> >> And yes, someone could do exactly what you have said...Charlotte >> >> ----Original Message Follows---- >> From: "Lorine McGinnis Schulze" <[email protected]> >> To: [email protected], "Charlotte ~" <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? >> Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 13:47:20 -0400 >> >> You are misinformed and I suggest you check the copyright laws >> much more carefully. >> >> Don't be misled by public opinion -- it is the law that counts, not >> how people (mis)interpret it. >> >> My pages, Cyndi's pages, and all the other pages on the internet >> are copyright protected. >> >> By your (mis)interpretation below, anyone could purchase the >> cemetery recordings that are for sale by various Genealogical >> Societies, copy them and republish them under their name. >> >> However -- that is a violation of copyright law. Even though the info on >> a gravestone is obviously public domain, the organization or person who >> publishes that info has copyright to their publication. >> >> Others may indeed walk the cemeteries for themselves, >> labouriously writing down all the data, and publishing it *but* if they >> dare to take the previously published work (whether online or off) they >> are in violation of copyright. >> >> Lorine >> >> >> >> Date forwarded: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 09:49:53 -0700 (PDT) >> From: "Charlotte ~" <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? >> Date sent: Wed, 02 Jun 1999 09:49:20 PDT >> To: [email protected] >> Forwarded by: [email protected] >> >> > Well, no offense to Cindy...I really enjoy her site...but that is >> contrary > to the current state of the law.... > > Links are not >> copyrightable...only original material is > copyrightable....links are >> very very public... > > Public documents cannot be copyrighted...you >> cannot copyright that which > is not copyrightable in the first >> place...your documents you refer to are > a database and congress has not >> passed legislation to include them in the > copyright law yet....and most >> predict that it will not pass... > > Generally what happens in the >> genealogy community, you either put an OK to > download on the page or >> the one who wants the information requests that > they be allowed to >> download the information.... > > The other problem with making a link a >> copyright is that you've taken the > information for the link from the >> other site...so to try and copyright a > link is to try and copyright >> someone else's information or site > address...not possible...and >> specifically not covered under > copyright...link addresses are public >> info... > > The design of her pages she can copyright...if it is an >> original design > etc....source code is programing, did she write a >> program?...html code > doesn't amount to much...but then I use >> FrontPage98 for my web > pages...which is Microsoft's to begin with... > >> > Getting a copyright in the Copyright office, only means you have the >> right > to sue...doesn't mean you will win and believe me copyright >> lawsuits run > about $100,000.00 from start to trial... > > Charlotte > > >> ----Original Message Follows---- > From: "Lorine McGinnis Schulze" >> <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: >> copyright question on sharing info? > Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 06:49:17 >> -0400 > > No she is not correct. > > Having studied several online sites >> regarding copyright laws, I find > Cyndi's page about Copyright Issues >> at > > http://www.CyndisList.com/copyrite.htm > > > addresses >> succintly this problem of source codes, descriptive text > and page >> layout and design. > > Cyndi's article tells us that while URLs >> themselves are not > copyright, a link is. A link is defined as the URL, >> the html code, > and any descriptive text. > > She also states: > > " >> Source code for a web page is copyright protected. Just because > you >> CAN copy it, doesn't mean that you SHOULD copy it. Doing > so would >> constitute a copyright violation. " [Source: > >> http://www.CyndisList.com/copyrite.htm] > > Cyndi herself has registered >> her html source code (among other > things) with the US Copyright Office >> (as stated on her webpage) > > I have defended Olive Tree Genealogy's >> primary source documents > online against those who feel they can simply >> take what I spent > hours creating. That is a copyright violation. > > >> Lorine > > > > Date forwarded: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 15:23:36 -0700 (PDT) > >> From: "Charlotte ~" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: >> copyright question on sharing info? > Date sent: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 >> 15:23:01 PDT > To: [email protected] > Forwarded by: >> [email protected] > > > Yes, you are correct...any editorial >> notes by the original author might > > be > > off limits...depends on >> how public they are and when they were > > added...Congress is trying to >> pass a database bill....but they can't > seem > to get it >> accepted...West Publishing just lost a big case in 1998, > I > believe, >> they are the official reporter for most court opinons...but > the > >> court said they didn't have a copyright on the court opinons, so > >> anyone > could scan them and put them on the net...but they couldn't scan >> > any of > the headings i.e. summaries or editorial notes that West had >> > added to the > original opinion.... > > What you'll find in most > >> genealogical groups is a standard to ask the > poster if you can use > >> their info...if like most of us we want to find our > ancestors we don't >> > mind...just don't sell the stuff ...<g>... > > Charlotte > > >> ----Original > Message Follows---- > From: [email protected] > To: > >> [email protected] > Subject: copyright question on sharing info? > >> > Date: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 16:57:54 EDT > > Hi. I just joined this list >> (I've > been here a few other times though), > and I'm wanting to find >> out if I > understand the copyright law concerning > online material >> that is public > domain info. I work in the reference > section of a >> library and have > read quite a few books on it, but with such > >> technical language, it's > hard to comprehend. Basically, this is my > >> understanding...using an > example: > > I have a webpage on certain >> surnames and I go to a webpage > where I find > info on those surnames I >> don't already have. It's public > info, like > census, marriage list, >> cemetery list, wills, etc. I > understand it that I > can copy those >> facts and paste them onto my > webpage in my own format.... > > >> Basically, that doesn't come across > exactly right, but from my > >> understanding, > a person cannot copy the > facts and info from public >> records, only the > format, and they cannot > prohibit someone from >> using the info on their > page > > (when it is public info like >> genealogy documents usually are). Am I > right > > about this, or not? >> Thanks for the input! > > > > Erin Bradford > > [email protected] > > >> http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~kshai (The Genealogy Depository) > > > > >> > > > > > > >> _______________________________________________________________ > > Get >> Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com > > > > > > >> Lorine McGinnis Schulze > [email protected] > >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > * The Olive Tree Genealogy >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ > * The Canadian Military Heritage Project >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > >> > > _______________________________________________________________ > Get >> Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com > >> >> >> >> Lorine McGinnis Schulze >> [email protected] >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> * The Olive Tree Genealogy http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ >> * The Canadian Military Heritage Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________________________ >> Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com >> > > > >Lorine McGinnis Schulze >[email protected] >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >* The Olive Tree Genealogy http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ >* The Canadian Military Heritage Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >