-----Original Message----- From: Lorine McGinnis Schulze <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 02, 1999 4:11 AM Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? >>>>Karen, I am horrified that you would even suggest such an act of outright copyright infringement on this list! >>>> WAIT A MINUTE -- I did not suggest that some one do that. I feel you have quoted me out of context and that you changed the meaning of what I was saying by not looking at the whole paragraph. My meaning was that while someone might be able to take facts from another webage -- which facts are not copyrighted -- I said that it was not right to do that. <<<To suggest that a person might be able to steal someone else's page and change it slightly so that others don't know it was stolen is completely inappropriate. >>> I DID NOT suggest that someone steal another's work. I DID said that it was wrong to do it. I think that it is unethical to take someone's work, even though the information they used may be public domain information. My opinion is that if you want to use some public domain information you ought to go get the documents yourself and do the work, rather then take someone else's work. >>>>Your remarks are exactly the reason why many of us with large websites chock full of primary source data (like The Olive Tree) have had to put up hidden defenses against such acts.>>>> I believe you have mis-characterized my remarks by taking them out of context. I have never taken any information off of any other person's web page. In fact I have been the victim of such actions by another person on the web. The person's post that I was referring to, I was telling them that while facts might not be copyrighted to copy another person's page wos not right to do. >>>>Yes folks -- if you try Karen's idea on my page, or on many others such as Cyndi's List you'll find yourself embroiled in a huge copyright infringement action. >>>> Again -- I did not suggest that anyone do that and I RESENT being accused of suggesting others do this action -- I was saying that they SHOULD NOT! The Quote you snipped below is even cut off mid sentence -- in the middle of the part where I said one should not take someone else's work whether or not it is public domain because of the hours of work put into typing and money put into research to obtain the data. My feeling is that it is unethical and dishonest to do so. I also stated that I have been the victim of such copying so that should have also made my meaning and where I stand on the copying issue clear. In fact the person who made the original post was contemplating doing such copying and I said they should not do so. I feel that my honesty and intregity have been hurt by these accusations. They are now on the web to stay. I have been very careful to honor copyright. I have always sought permission from authors and newspapers if there is any thought at all a work may be copyrighted. I have done my own abstracts at much time and expense from original public records. I have never copied another person's web page and have in fact been the victim of such acts by others. Karen Bush >>>>Copyright is copyright -- and trying to steal someone else's hard work is copyright infringement. >>>>DON'T take someone else's work, change it and put it on your own site unless you are prepared for a battle. I have fought dozens of cases of copyright infringement from my Olive Tree site (successfully) and will continue to do so. >>>>However, think before you try this trick -- first, it is copyright infringement and secondly, if enough people do this, you can say goodbye to the sites like Olive Tree that are actively attempting to bring primary source documents to you, the researcher. >>>>Why? Because eventually I, and others like me, will simply pull their pages and say sayonara. It is the researcher who will lose in the end. >>>>So if the fact that this little trick is illegal doesn't stop you, think about the loss of genealogical data. You can bet that someone that would stoop this low will never get off their butt to get out into the world of archives and libraries and Family History Centres to actually *find* the data, transcribe it, code it, add their own research notes, and then offer it freely online to all. I do. The Olive Tree is where I offer my hard work. There are many like me out there - who *do* get out and work very hard to bring information to other researchers. >>>THINK before you do anything --- and remember that the Internet copyright laws are the same as those in 'the real world' --- and going into a library, taking a book from their shelves, copying it in full, then republishing it under your name is ILLEGAL. >>>Lorine Date forwarded: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 15:04:50 -0700 (PDT) Send reply to: "Karen Bush" <[email protected]> From: "Karen Bush" <[email protected]> Subject: Re: copyright question on sharing info? Date sent: Tue, 1 Jun 1999 14:59:25 -0700 To: [email protected] Forwarded by: [email protected] > > Yes, you are correct. And if you did take the info from a webpage and > repost it on yours, most likely you can do it in such a way that no one > would know that you didn't look up the records yourself. BUT - I don't > think it is very nice thing to do, from the view point of someone who has Lorine McGinnis Schulze [email protected] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * The Olive Tree Genealogy http://www.rootsweb.com/~ote/ * The Canadian Military Heritage Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~canmil/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~