Hi, What Karen is talking about is infringing on someone else's copyright. They spent years researching and developing their book. It is their work and they should be compensated for it. Most do not mind it you ask to use parts of their book, but they will mind it you take all of their hard work and give it away. Most libraries will let you copy part or pieces of books but they don't like you copying the whole book. Yes genealogy is about sharing. But sharing your work and not someone else's without their permission. I had a cousin steal ten years of my hard work and put her name to it!! That was not fair to me. Anyone who has done a lot of research or put out a book knows what hard, long and tedious work it is. Try sitting and transcribing whole census records, marriage books, wills, land records, and birth and death records. Not just one or two but the whole thing!! It is very time consuming and tiring work. Try researching to write a book about the Civil War, WWI, or WWII, it takes a very long time to do these things. No one would like to work that hard and then have someone just give away all their hard work. Some people do this for a living to feed their children, pay their bills, just like a lot of you get up and go to your job everyday to pay these things. It is like working for a company for 10 years, being a dedicated and loyal employee, doing your job well and to the best of your ability, and then showing up to work one day to find out you no longer have a job because you were replayed by someone who could do the work cheaper than what you were being paid and with less benefits. You would not like that very much at all considering all the time you spent doing this job and now someone is doing it cheaper. Now you have to figure where your next paycheck is coming from. Now put yourself in the authors place. So let's be fair to everyone. If you use someone else's research check with them first. It is the only descent thing to do. Sorry if I offended anyone or upset anyone for that was not my intentions at all. Just trying to clarify what Karen is saying and I agree with her. Best Regards to All, Belinda savadge@alltel.net -----Original Message----- From: Sandra and Larry Franklin <franklin@choicetech.net> To: GAMADISO-L@rootsweb.com <GAMADISO-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, May 18, 1999 8:11 PM Subject: Re: A statement to the list >I'm not sure what is going on here, but if we are talking about cemetery >records and county history books those historical records belong to the >people no matter who published them, not to mention the increase in >sales to the historical societies because people find out that they >exist. On the other hand, I own a family genealogy book written by a >family member, and I offer information from it with her permission. >After all, her goal is to increase in knowledge and the only way to do >that in genealogy is to let people know what you know and vice versa. I >don't know about the UGA Library. I do know that they allow you to copy >material from their research books because I have done it. We're not >talking about famous classic novels here. This is people who research >people and common sense dictates that we get permission if we believe we >should have it, otherwise, I can't think of anyone who has the corner on >my family members. After all, my great-great grandfather doesn't just >belong to me. Sandi > >"Karen T.Ledford" wrote: >> >> I am sorry if the statement I made the other day about copyright >> infringements have some of you so upset. >> >> I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone. Go ahead and post what you want >> to. It certainly has been under discussion on other lists about this >> very thing and it has been a mess and caused some real confusion. >> >> I still believe if you start posting information to a public list out of >> a copyrighted book that you are breaking the copyright. I will let the >> author of the book that it happens to take their own course of action. >> As long as it isn't my book, I won't concern myself. >> >> I certainly can tell you that someone on another list offered to do >> lookups out of a book she had to the public and the University of Ga. >> Library stepped in on the list and said, "hey we own the copyright on >> this book you are offering to do lookups out of and they were saying >> you can't do this. You can argue this with them if you wish. I figure >> the >> certainly know what they are talking about. >> >> I must add here if researchers and authors who spend years compiling >> this information that you use for your work wanted to give it away they >> would post it themselves to the internet. If you would sometime go and >> price what it takes to publish a book. Thousands of dollars and years >> and years of research will certainly make any author very unhappy to >> see their work made public in the way that we are talking about here. I >> am not the only one who thinks in this way so don't put me in the >> minority of ONE. >> >> It was NOT my book, that was being offered, I was only trying to tell >> the list what I know and understand to be the case. I certainly had >> nothing to gain or to loose by what I said. >> >> So don't let me stand in the way of anything here. Go ahead and do what >> you want to. Post what you want to. You certainly won't get any >> oppostion from me. >> >> I assure you my post was with the best intentions and not meant to harm >> anyone but to be helpful. >> >> Karen T. Ledford/Toccoa, Ga. >