Dear List Members, I thought it to be a very good time to pass the following information along to all of the mailing list that I subscribe to. Many mailing lists at Rootsweb have a 'footer' at the bottom of each message. "All material published on this list is copyrighted 2002 by the author. No reproduction in whole or in part is permitted without the author's written consent." The Kaufman County Mailing List does not contain the 'footer' at the bottom of each message but the copyright law still applies in more instances than one might think. In 'Ancestry Magazine', January/February; 2000 there is a very interesting and informative article: "Staying Legal with Internet Copyrights", by Rhonda R. McClure. For example, if a researcher spends time compiling a family history that details 2, 3, or 4 generations and incorporates family stories, and then puts it on his or her Web site. OR sends it to someone by E-MAIL, the researcher has arranged the facts and compiled them into an original format. The compilation is covered under copyright laws. Few people think to put a copyright notice on their Web pages, but this does not negate their copyright. As of 1989, any published original work is covered under the copyright laws whether it has a copyright statement or not. This is considered part of the standardized copyright laws that came out of the Berne copyright convention. There are many misconceptions about the Internet. For example John Doe says: "It's free because it's on the Internet and is in the Public Domain". John Doe incorrectly equates "free" with "public domain". Public domain covers those works that were once copyrighted but have since expired. Remember that the copyright is intended to protect only for a limited time. Until recently, copyrights protected any work prior to 1928. Once a copyright has expired, the work comes into to public domain. This is how publishers can legally reprint books that were originally published in the 1800s. Freely available via the Internet does not necessarily mean it is in the public domain. Only those works that state plainly that they may be freely used and copied are public domain on the Internet. Contemporary works placed on the Internet, in any form, are covered by the same copyright laws. In fact, because they were published after 1976 they are covered by the most recent revisions of the copyright laws. Finally, if you receive a file, e-mail, etc. from an individual via the Internet, which contains a compilation of family history, it is not your property to use as you see fit. It is covered by copyright laws and is the property of the compiler. You must receive written permission from the author to use this material for your own purpose. I hope this is informative to all of you. Jean (Tarbell) Cotton