Maybe most of you saw Rootsweb's Acceptable Use Policy in the weekly RootsWeb Review but, if not, I would like to remind you that your posts to these lists are in the public eye and are archived for searches by the public. If you quote from copyrighted material in a public forum then you could be liable to the copyright holder. You should assume any book under 75 years old is copyrighted. You say births, deaths, can't be copyrighted? If the compiler put one intentional mistake in their unique compilation to catch a thief, the compiler would win in a court of law. What we do privately is our business. I do not want and not my intention to stifle helping researchers who are new or so many miles away from resources if we might be able to help with the resources we have at hand. Please read carefully. ********* Originally posted by Rootsweb in June 17, 1999 RootsWeb Review (vol. 2, No. 24) (1) HAVE FUN. Well, we can't *require* you to have fun, but we really think you should. (2) YOU OWN YOUR POSTS. When you post messages to lists, message boards, and other facilities at RootsWeb, those posts remain your property under copyright law. (3) ROOTSWEB MAY ARCHIVE AND REDISTRIBUTE. So we can provide current and future users with access to your posts, by posting here you do give RootsWeb a permanent license to archive and redistribute those posts. This policy may be superseded in specific circumstances by other commitments made by RootsWeb. (4) POST ONLY MATERIAL YOU *DO* OWN. When you post to RootsWeb, you must either be the copyright holder (that basically means you wrote it), have written permission from the copyright holder, or the material must clearly be in the public domain. (5) YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR POSTS. If you post anything that results in RootsWeb being sued, you are responsible for any costs you incur. We may also hold you responsible for any costs we incur defending ourselves. (6) YOU SHOULD NOT DECREASE THE ENJOYMENT OF OTHERS. Your posts should not flame or otherwise harass other users and should be reasonably on topic for the areas where they appear, and you should otherwise adhere to the principles of netiquette. (7) OTHER POLICIES MAY APPLY AND ALL POLICIES MAY CHANGE. In addition to this general acceptable use policy, other specific policies may apply to Web sites, mailing lists, message boards, and other facilities at RootsWeb. These policies may change with time, but current versions will be publicly accessible on RootsWeb's site. (8) ROOTSWEB HAS LIMITED RESPONSIBILITIES. Hard disks fail and other catastrophes occur. While RootsWeb strives to provide the most reliable possible service, we are not liable for service interruptions and loss of data. In *no* case, technical failure or otherwise, will RootsWeb be liable for damages exceeding any payments you make to us. (9) COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES REQUIRE PERMISSION. RootsWeb's intent is to provide a friendly and, as much as possible, noncommercial environment. Any activity that involves the exchange of money requires prior permission from RootsWeb. (10) ROOTSWEB RESOURCES MAY NOT BE RESOLD. No RootsWeb facilities -- for example, Web sites, mailing lists, and message boards -- may be resold. Public domain content on RootsWeb may not be harvested for commercial or other use, other than as would have been permitted by the Fair Use provisions of American copyright law if the material had been copyrighted. Material written and posted by an individual may not be harvested for commercial or other use, except with the permission of that individual or as permitted by Fair Use. (11) ROOTSWEB MAY REFUSE SERVICE. For violations of this agreement or other policies posted on the RootsWeb site, RootsWeb may revoke the violator's right to use part or all of the RootsWeb site. (12) MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE. Upon request, RootsWeb will terminate any services we are providing to you, and refund your last annual contribution. ********* Gloria Frazier