Rich, I'm 100% non profit. I plan on absolutely no monetary return on what I do. I have no Grant. I have not received one cent from anyone, I used only the money from my own pocket. Which over a year was considerable. The only thing I can say is after a year working at my own expense, I don't want someone photo copying my work and selling Booklets for a Profit. And "Yes" they would sell. My work is to be donated to the Local Library in Floyd, and Harrison counties free of charge. Anyone can come in and locate a cemetery from my 2 volumes. They can't take them out of the room. But I don't want someone else charging, and profiting from what I have done. Everyone will benefit from the information. But they won't Profit from it. Understand or not, that's it. Eventually the state of Indiana will have all of my information. But it won't be for sale, only for historical recording purposes. I can destroy all I have, then that little point on the map that only I know where it is would make a difference. It all depends on who did the financing. Again, my opinion, Jack E. Briles Sr

Jack, What you've done has been done for many years now. You're not copyrighting the information that's freely available on the ground or in other document that can be located, you're copyrighting your "intellectual property." It's done all the time. Just look at how many marriage register transcriptions (taken from public record) are for sale. It's the same thing. Sue ----- Original Message ----- From: <Jb502000@aol.com> To: <INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 10:01 PM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Copyrighting Cemetery Locations??? > > > > Rich, I'm 100% non profit. I plan on absolutely no monetary return on what I > do. I have no Grant. I have not received one cent from anyone, I used only > the money from my own pocket. Which over a year was considerable. The only > thing I can say is after a year working at my own expense, I don't want > someone photo copying my work and selling Booklets for a Profit. And "Yes" > they would sell. My work is to be donated to the Local Library in Floyd, and > Harrison counties free of charge. Anyone can come in and locate a cemetery > from my 2 volumes. They can't take them out of the room. But I don't want > someone else charging, and profiting from what I have done. > Everyone will benefit from the information. But they won't Profit from it. > Understand or not, that's it. Eventually the state of Indiana will have all > of my information. But it won't be for sale, only for historical recording > purposes. I can destroy all I have, then that little point on the map that > only I know where it is would make a difference. It all depends on who did > the financing. > Again, my opinion, > > Jack E. Briles Sr > > > ==== INPCRP Mailing List ==== > THIS IS A CEMETERY ----- > "Lives are commemorated - deaths are recorded - families > are reunited - memories are made tangible - and love is > undisguised. This is a cemetery. > "Communities accord respect, families bestow reverence, > historians seek information and our heritage is thereby enriched. > "Testimonies of devotion, pride and remembrance are carved > in stone to pay warm tribute to accomplishments and to the life - > not the death - of a loved one. The cemetery is homeland for family > memorials that are a sustaining source of comfort to the living. > "A cemetery is a history of people - a perpetual record of > yesterday and sanctuary of peace and quiet today. A cemetery > exists because every life is worth loving and remembering - always." > --Author unknown -- Seen at a monument dealer in West Union, IA > >

Jack, That researchers who follow in your footsteps will benefit, and yes in some cases profit, from your hard work is a foregone conclusion. Comes with the territory. The better your work, the more likely that this will be so. But then, this is not really the argument that the "copyright" thread has brought to light. Clearly, the first order of business in the pioneer cemetery preservation process should be to accurately and expeditiously record the site locations, both locally and with the state. It's a lot more difficult for a land developer, highway department or other entity to alter or destroy that which has been publicly recorded. It follows then that the more obscure the property, the more threatened it is. Withholding points on a map for limited publication at some later date instead of immediately reporting the locations to the appropriate authorities can logically be perceived as detrimental to the preservation process. And, in this case it doesn't really matter whether there is a profit involved or not. I certainly don't think that's what you're all about. However, it is your right to collect and disseminate your research material in the manner you see fit. Last time I looked it was still a free country. I think that you will agree though that the destruction of these cemeteries may continue relatively unabated as long as state-wide cemetery documentation and registration is incomplete. Just food for thought but, what is accomplished in one small corner of Indiana may serve to establish the standard for folks with the same agenda elsewhere in the state. The bottom line is that the cemeteries have a much better shot at being saved if they are publicly recorded, and any discussion depicting ways to legally covet location information, rather than making this data as well known as possible, is both alarming and counterproductive to the preservation of these important sites. - Rich Green Historic Archaeological Research 4338 Hadley Court West Lafayette, IN 47906 Office: (765) 464-8735 Home: (765) 464-8095 http://www.har-indy.com ----- Original Message ----- From: Jb502000@aol.com To: INPCRP-L@rootsweb.com Cc: Rich Green Sent: Monday, March 18, 2002 1:01 AM Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Copyrighting Cemetery Locations??? Rich, I'm 100% non profit. I plan on absolutely no monetary return on what I do. I have no Grant. I have not received one cent from anyone, I used only the money from my own pocket. Which over a year was considerable. The only thing I can say is after a year working at my own expense, I don't want someone photo copying my work and selling Booklets for a Profit. And "Yes" they would sell. My work is to be donated to the Local Library in Floyd, and Harrison counties free of charge. Anyone can come in and locate a cemetery from my 2 volumes. They can't take them out of the room. But I don't want someone else charging, and profiting from what I have done. Everyone will benefit from the information. But they won't Profit from it. Understand or not, that's it. Eventually the state of Indiana will have all of my information. But it won't be for sale, only for historical recording purposes. I can destroy all I have, then that little point on the map that only I know where it is would make a difference. It all depends on who did the financing. Again, my opinion, Jack E. Briles Sr