In my humble opinion, it is, of course, morally polite and technically legal necessary to ask first--and it may keep you out of trouble; who knows what author may object to the context in which someone else is presenting and crediting a source that is educational?  Secondly, since an educational context is rarely considered a commercial market, where attribution is given, I would think one would be safe from a law-suit.  And, deterrence from a law-suit is what copyright law is all about.  As former professor and advisor to a student club who showed a movie on campus without charging for it, the distributor with copyright authority challenged us, and won, for not paying them the fee. Sharon Whitney   "We are students and teachers to each other."    -----Original Message----- From: "Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL" [Elissa@powellgenealogy.com] Date: 01/11/2013 11:26 AM To: Transitional-Genealogists-Forum@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [TGF] Reprinting info from another website Margie, No worries. As you said it is in an educational venue but even there it is still nice to consult with the author to see if there are any updates or late-breaking news on the topic. As Tom and I mentioned it could have other benefits in networking and relationships. See, now we are relating! <G> If the handout was presented on a screen as part of your presentation, that is fair use for education with no real permission needed. Whenever we reproduce and distribute someone else's work, even for educational use, that is considered "publishing." Permission for "publishing" may be included with the original material (as Dick Eastman's blog gives permission with attribution). Sometimes permission for "publishing" is for personal use only. Note that publishing, paraphrasing, or extracting without attribution is plagiarism which is a different thing and does not get anyone off the hook for copyright considerations. It is because this is so important in doing things to a professional level that Judy Russell (aka "The Legal Genealogist") will be doing a lecture in the Professional Genealogy course at IGHR at Samford University in June. Best wishes as you continue to educate your society, -- Elissa Elissa Scalise Powell, CG, CGL www.PowellGenealogy.com www.GRIPitt.org registration opens 7 Feb 2013 CG, Certified Genealogist, CGL, and Certified Genealogical Lecturer are Service Marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by board certificants after periodic evaluations by the Board and the board name is a trademark registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office. > -----Original Message----- > From: On Behalf Of M. A. Beldin > Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 1:10 PM > > My apologies to Elissa for not asking permission either. Because I found the form in a > "teaching" format, it did not dawn on me I should request permission to use it. I will seek > forgiveness and permission in an off-list email. > > I will qualify in the society blog the meaning of "intermediate". I did speak to that during > my presentation helping the audience understand each of us has experience in different > areas thus making us a beginner in one area but an intermediate or advanced genealogist in > another. The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message    

> since an educational context is rarely considered a commercial market, where attribution is given, I would think one would be safe from a law-suit. And, deterrence from a law-suit is what copyright law is all about. Allow me to add a caveat to this, please. Legally, copyright is all about what is legally actionable, yes. But there's an ethical issue involved as well when one is considering the "marketplace." When Teacher A in a local forum--be it in a classroom or a society meeting--uses without permission the material of Presenter B from a national conference or institute, that use is not just a localized action that has no broader implication. All too often, some of the local attendees manage to leave that venue without realizing the identity of the individual who actually created the material--or without realizing exactly who created what portions of. Depending upon the formatting of Teacher A's handout, in which Presenter B's material was incorporated, society editors can and do end up copying portions of the handout into their newsletters with the material miscredited--and that newsletter can and does, all too often, end up online with Presenter B's material credited to Teacher A. Subsequently, some of those students and society members then go to a conference or an institute, where they attend the presentation of the person who created that material in the first place. Or, the area society brings in that presenter. The attendees recognize the duplication of the material when they hear it repeated and, all too often, they will use conference critiques or the Internet to express their disappointment that Presenter B offered "just a rehash of what we've already heard from our local Teacher A." On occasion, those dissatisfied individuals have even accused Presenter B of using Teacher A's material. The bottom line is this: A. If we are teaching others, we should have enough experience to be able to present our own material. (I'm tempted to put that point in all caps. :) B. If, under extenuating circumstances, we would like to use something truly unique that was created by another speaker, then--as Tom and Elissa have pointed out--we should ask. C. If we are the person who is asked and we give our permission (which I frequently do), it is wise to make two stipulations: 1. Our material should be reproduced as an image copy, with no additions or alterations; or 2. If a small portion of our material needs to be reformatted for, say, incorporation into a larger handout, then the redo should be sent back to us to make sure all important nuances have been preserved and no misinterpretation has found its way into the redo. (As you probably assume, I'm speaking from both experience and observation.) Elizabeth ---------------------------------------------- Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG www.HistoricPathways.com www.EvidenceExplained.com & for daily tips on sources and source usage: www.Facebook.com/EvidenceExplained.

A cousin has asked what she should buy. She's never used any software. I've looked at reviews and seeking opinions on Family Tree Maker 2012, the program I'd suggest to her from what I've read (it was editor's pick in PCMag). I use Reunion-would recommend it, but she doesn't have a Mac. I want to provide her GEDCOM of our shared family, and want to be able to upload to her separately all the images associated so that she has them as well. I want her to buy 'the best' but recognize that some are easier than others. She'll be adding her progeny and branches to a substantial study but I don't want to limit her choice to her being a beginner to software because what she's receiving is serious and complete study that will provide a sort of template for her. Am I right that Family Tree Maker 2012 is the best? Thanks for any input Cynthia