Edgar - I agree with much of what you say. However, I was referring to Rootsweb, et al, thinking they own facts such as birth dates, census reports, marriage dates, etc., information that they themselves obtained from other sources. I don't think there's any question about plagarism being illegal, it always has been as far as I know. To take someone's books, stories, essays, etc. and pass them off as their own work is wrong, no matter who's doing the taking. I was referring directly to facts, not someone else's work. I specifically mentioned the information that they get from courthouses, etc. which they then consider their own. MargoBelle