Re: Copyright, was Re: 2 tidbits

["David Ritterskamp" <blackbow@sprynet.com>]

Poster: "David Ritterskamp" <blackbow@sprynet.com>



----------
> From: Karen Lyons-McGann <dvkld.dev@mhs.unc.edu>
> To: David Ritterskamp <blackbow@sprynet.com>
> Subject: Re: Copyright, was Re: 2 tidbits
> Date: Monday, November 03, 1997 5:42 PM
> 
> 
> > going to see one freaking dime of that money?  But without my action, 
> Author
> > X never sees a dime himself.]
> 
> the more likely scenario is that so many people will sing it, or publish 
> it because they've seen it out there with not name and they think it is 
> public domain that he will have a hell of an expensive time getting any 
> money out of them, and in fact some court may claim it is public domain 
> despite the author's intentions.  That's why Hormel fights every 
> publication of the word Spam when it isn't intended to mean their canned 
> meat product.  No, they don't track down everyone on the internet, but 
> they do complain about websites, paper publications and TV/Radio use.   
> 
> > [Good luck.  As I said recently, until somebody pins down exactly what
> > can/can't be done with e-mail, it's all academic. 
> 
> Generally,  I agree with you about all the electronic stuff and 
> copyright.   But in this case, it's not academic, it's something that 
> personally effects other SCAdians.   I don't give a pig's foot about the 
> happy birthday song.   I do, however,  care about SCA, and it's members. 

> One posting doesn't matter and many bards may not need the copyright 
> intact, but continued reposting might eventually result in loss to some 
> bard that did need it. I  wouldn't steal from an SCA merchant, I wouldn't

> swipe food from the kitchen, nor walk off with items left unattended at 
> events.  Now that someone has mentioned the issue from the author's point

> of view, I don't want to do something which a bard would consider 
> stealing either.  
> 
> Anne
> 
What constitutes a continued reposting?  Show me a bard that considers
reposting of his words as theft?  

I certainly didn't do anything that *I* consider a constant reposting, and
there has been more bandwidth about the legality of the posting than
anything I saw saying "neat song" or the like.

Personally, if the bard in question were to post on the Rialto or something
similar saying "please don't do (fill in the blank) with regards to my
songs", I'd honor his requests, _Just as everybody does with "Born on the
List Field"_, for a perfect instance.  I'm not about to do the same because
somebody _thinks_ there _might_ be a problem.  If I did that, I'd never be
able to get a damn thing done for sheer paranoia.

Let's take an extreme example:  what if I were to start adding a .sig line
saying "if you quote any part of anything I say, you owe me $5/line."

That's perfectly within my rights to do, since I own the copyright on the
material I write, In fact, I currently post a .sig line on the Rialto and
various other places that says that I hereby give permission for anybody to
use anything that I say, as long as they republish it in its entirety, and
that I'd appreciate a hard copy of whatever it goes in.  I did this in
response to requests.  But let's say I get greedy and stupid and go the
other direction and make people pay money.  Or even say that I just start
saying "nobody can quote me and I'll sue you if you do!"  Whatever.  

Or let's say somebody starts running off at the mouth about how to build
the Thumper.  AAMOF, Sir Jon has my permission to do just this.  But let's
say he starts trying to take credit for the idea.  THIS is the only time I
can justifiably get annoyed in ANY of the above situations.  Needless to
say, he doesn't do that, and I haven't heard of anybody else trying to do
it either.  And even if they did...c'est la vie.  

Anyway, this has been a fascinating thread.  I congratulate everybody
involved on keeping it civil.  I also congratulate the concept of
kidnapping Efen, and the "Patently Absurd" post cracked me up, bad puns and
all.

Regards,

Ld. Jonathan Blackbow
Clan O'Shannon



Regards,

J. Blackbow
Clan O'Shannon
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