Trev, Thanks for the PS. Phyllis On Fri, 10 Dec 1999 17:40:57 -0600 [email protected] wrote: > > > You, Genealogy, and Copyright > > The copyright laws affect both the research and the publication of your > > genealogy, either a narrative family history or a simple pedigree family > > line. First, though, consider that the basic facts about your ancestor's > life > (such as name, birth date and place, marriage partner, date and > place, and > death date and place) do not receive copyright protection, no > matter their > source. Whether you went to the county courthouse, rented a > microfilm of the > relevant records, or found the data in a commercial > CD-ROM, the basic facts > of a person's life may be freely copied; they are > in the public domain. > > This is probly true, but what it didn't say is.... If you invent a certain > program, or format, to "present" this material, that program or format is > under copyright. You can use the information that is under public domain, > but you can't use the format without permission, i.e. the "Family Tree > Maker Viewer" that is built into Family Tree Maker, used to present various > records. > > Tree