Hi all: Looks like a lot of what we are doing with genealogy falls in the gray area of copyright laws, which have been meant to protect published works...books, magazines, music, etc. Now even celebrity names and photos (Tiger Woods) are coming into question under copyright law. With sharing our own research done from original sources, tombstones, newspaper articles, family bibles, personal interviews....it doesn't fall under copyright laws. But it may need to become a courtesy to ask for permission before passing the information onto others. For example, I'm corresponding with several of my dad's first cousins who have not met each other yet. I do pass on the family information they share with me, but it's shared with the understanding that I will be sending it on to others in the family. Several years ago I did a family history on my home computer, then photo copied my own work and it was distributed at family reunions. Families are still making copies to share with cousins and children. Someone in the family even submitted "my work" to an area historical group for their centennial publication. When it was published, there was my stuff, withouth any acknowledgement of who had compiled it. It felt a little funny and I probably could have "legally" raised a fuss, but for me it really was ok. If someone else had claimed authorship, I would have corrected it, but that wasn't what happened. Now what I do is put a little address label on everything I send out in hard copy to others. If they photocopy it and give it to someone else, they know where it came from. When I send my documented information to others, I make sure I list the source of the names/dates/etc. and where I obtained that copy. Such as the newspaper microfilms from the University of Idaho. My classes in genealogy have stressed documenting so anyone can verify my information. As long as the source is given credit, that seems to be the genealogical issue. The music copyrights are there to protect the writers and performers and the royalties they are entitled to. For many years, churches (me included) have violated the law here.....usually not intentionally, usually misunderstanding the laws.....and most churches now pay a fee in order to properly use the music in services. But our genealogy research really is different. Family Tree Maker also makes it a point to not publish on-line the names of people still living. This may also be a sticky/gray area for us with our work. I'm cautious (initially) about sending the names and locations of the generation still living in all my branches. To summarize, we might do well to remember: 1. Always give credit to the original source. Tombstone, personal interview, newspaper clipping, personal journal. 2. Don't claim someone else's research as our own. 3. Get permission to share what you've been given. 4. Even when compiling information for publication, give credit to the contributor. Then enjoy your hard work and all you've accomplished. maryb.