Jim you desperately need to consult with a copyright attorney before you get yourself into a mess. You cannot interpret the laws to suit yourself. They say what they say. Material from public records that are a part of a genealogical work are indeed part of the copyright. And if you think that any coyrighted material published in a publication then becomes the property of the purchasers of the publication, you are way off. Way, way off. If this were the case, there would be no need for copyrights to start with. Some people are a law unto themselves; I certainly hope that everyone on this list will be careful rather than sorry. DC >From: Jim Hawes <JimHawes@ix.netcom.com> >Reply-To: KYJOHNSO-L@rootsweb.com >To: KYJOHNSO-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: Copyright "NOT" >Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 13:32:27 -0800 > > >There is some question as to rather an electronic reproduction and >written/printed document are the same. > >There is no law wherein you cannot share with others of common interest >material wherein: a: The amount of material shared does not degrade the >marketability of the copyrighted text in its entirety. b: The material >is not generally available to the public. c: The material shared is not >for profit. d: A copyright is for original material and not that which >is copied from public records! > >(Conclusion) >This has been challenged many times in the courts where the court has >found that a book/text can be broken down into sections. The original >conclusions or comments of the author are protected by copyright but not >the public records contained within the same book/text. These remain >public documents and can be shared, posted reprinted to your hearts >content. A good example is the New England Dictionary published in >1829. A person whom I will not name found the book, typed the >information for electronic publication and called it copyrighted! This >is just not how the copyright laws work nor is it how they were intended >to work. A genealogical study is a research project not an attempt to >plagiarize original works. When information is taken from more than two >sources, IT'S RESEARCH. Articles written and published monthly, >quarterly etc. in genealogical publications is copyrighted. You may >extract portions, insert your own comment and it is not copyrighted. >Again, an article that quotes original material is only protected for >that portion of original content. The preoccupation with copyright law >by persons who operate these mail list's is totally beyond me. I >question rather any genealogical publication produced for the >distribution of it's members is copyrighted at all! I arrive at this >for the following reason. Members pay a monthly or annual membership >fee. The material is produced for its members as a result of their >membership. This means that any member can then copy and freely >distribute information generated as a result of their membership. It >short, the material belongs as much to any member as the group as a >whole. If a member sells an original publication, then he has sold the >rights to this material to the person that takes possession. > >Regards, >Jim Hawes > > > >==== KYJOHNSO Mailing List ==== >Comments or suggestions pertaining to this list may be sent to the >listowner, Ann Lemaster-Applegate >annapplegate@maysvilleky.net >Visit the Johnson County Historical Society homepage: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyjchs/johnson.html > ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com