you will need to contact Camilla who is the top lady in the FreeBMD project and she is based in England and she know more about the index in question. David Samuelsen "Scott R. Anderson" wrote: > > On Wednesday, April 11, 2001 12:16 PM, Patricia Tidmarsh <[email protected]> wrote: > > I dont know where she copied them from while she was in England. I had > > There are free British BMD records online at Rootsweb through 1899 > > Somewhere I remember reading that British records are not in the public > > domain and something about 100 year limit for facts?? > > Facts are never copyrightable. > > Most U.S. government records are automatically public domain. This is not true of most other countries, including the U.K., which provides for Crown Copyright on government-produced documents (see <http://www.hmso.gov.uk/>). But like other copyrights it does eventually expire. I can't say for certain when, though, and because it can vary from country to country, I must backtrack on the pre-1923 date I mentioned which is for U.S. works. > > There is some information on UK copyright available at <http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/index.htm> and at <http://www.intellectual-property.gov.uk/std/resources/copyright/index.htm>. I don't know the exact nature of the British Index, but who created it and the date it was created is relevant. > > It also sounds like a database, and at <http://www.patent.gov.uk/copy/indetail/morecopy.htm> they mention that "Databases may receive copyright protection for the selection and arrangement of the contents. In addition, or instead, database right may exist in a database. This is an automatic right and protects databases against the unauthorised extraction and re-utilisation of the contents of the database. Database right lasts for 15 years from the making but, if published during this time, then the term is 15 years from publication." Note that "Database right" doesn't exist in the U.S., though many people have argued for it. > > S R C A > cott obert ranston nderson > [email protected] > Admin, {C{offield,ollosky,ranston,ummins},OHGuerns,USAGen}[email protected] > USGenWeb Coordinator, http://www.usgennet.org/usa/oh/county/guernsey/ > > ==== COPYRIGHT Mailing List ==== > Threaded archives at > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/COPYRIGHT-L/ > > ============================== > Create a FREE family website at MyFamily.com! > http://www.myfamily.com/banner.asp?ID=RWLIST2