To a certain point, but no further. George Lucas doesn't lose the rights
to Star Wars when it's broadcast even though it's well known it'll be
copied by many people. So, what they do with audio and video recording
media these days is levy a copyright tax on blank cassettes.
} Legalities aside, you shouldn't *want* to assert ownership over
} documents you post. Think of all the people who post various software
} to the net. Nothing legal stops you from enhancing it and releasing a
} newer version, possibly under a different name. Common courtesy requires
} you to consult the original author first.
Common courtesy *and* copyright law. As someone who's posted several 10's
of thousands of lines worth of software to the net over the past 11 years,
I assure you I take my "non commercial use" copyright _very_ seriously.
As does Brad Templeton with Clarinet. Etc.
} Now, if you feel the desire to take my FAQ, hack it into a book, and
} not give me any credit, that's plagarism. We've got laws to deal with
} that.
No we don't. Plagiarism, in and of itself, is _not_ a crime - except in
University codes-of-conduct. The only laws that _do_ apply are copyright.
If you kill copyright, there's nothing left to protect ownership.
} If all you do is take a collection of FAQ's down to the local
} copy store and make 100 bound copies, then sell them as a course
} reader (where the store is likely marking up by more than just
} cost-of-materials), why should I care? More eyes see my document.
} That's what matters to me.
Me also. But I refuse to relinquish ownership of the FAQs or software
that I write. I refuse to be browbeaten into thinking this "evil".
And I have no intention of letting CDROMS today, and the next generation
of copyright violations tomorrow erode the general rights of copyright
in this medium, nor my rights to control my property.
-- Chris Lewis: _Una confibula non sat est_ Phone: Canada 613 832-0541 Latest psroff: FTP://ftp.uunet.ca/distrib/chris_lewis/psroff3.0pl17/* Latest hp2pbm: FTP://ftp.uunet.ca/distrib/chris_lewis/hp2pbm/*
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