P3D Re: 3D-CD glitch...

[Tom Martin <tlmartin@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Before the armchair lawyers go too far out on a limb, I think they had
better bone up on their copyright law. I do not know who did not want
their List postings published on Dan Shelley's CD, but their postings
(along with everyone else's) are indeed copyrighted and are not in the
public domain unless the writer has specifically stated that they are.

As has been stated here before, since 1989 all written materials
(including any materials posted on the Web) are automatically
copyrighted, and do not need to have a copyright notice. Posting to the
List is the same as creating your own web page, and carries the same
copyrights. If the person who contacted Dan did not want their postings
copied onto another medium, that is their right.

Some of the reasons that John Roberts referred to as "Good Net
Etiquette" are the same reasons that copyright laws were brought into
place. There are always just enough bad apples to spoil it for the rest
of us.

If you want to get a better understanding of what the rules concerning
the Internet are, check out "10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained" at:

http://www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html

I too think it would be great to have the archives on an easily
distributed medium, but for Dan to remain legal in his distribution of
the CD he would be required to have the written permission of _everyone_
who has posted on the List!

Tom Martin
Not a lawyer, just very familiar with copyright law.


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