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Thread: Copyright Law and related laws contained in Title 17 of the United States Code

  1. #1
    AntiOnline Senior Member souleman's Avatar
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    Copyright Law and related laws contained in Title 17 of the United States Code

    Ok, this probably isn't the best tutorial, and I could have written it better, but it was just requested yesterday, and I wanted to get it up. So if it seems a little unorganized, get over it.

    Download from: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/ PDF is 1 Meg and 252 pages....you try writing a tutorial from that....

    Basics and application forms from: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html
    What's protected?
    literary works, musical works, dramatic works, pantomimes and choreographic works, pictorial/graphic/sculptural works, motion pictures, sound recordings, and architectural works
    note....computer programs may be registered as "literary works"

    As of March 1, 1989, a copyright notice is not required on anything new, although it is still beneficial.
    How long does it last? For anything created after January 1, 1978, it will be 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.

    Section 107: Fair use...
    Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include-
    1> purpose (commercial or nonprofit educational purposes)
    2> nature of the work
    3> amount of portion used in relation to the work as a whole
    In other words, you can copy a small portion but cutting and pasting an entire article is not allowed. If you do want to cut and paste the entire thing, then you need to include a lot of criticism/comment/reporting/teaching, so that the cut and paste is not the primary part of your post.

    FAQ: http://www.copyright.gov/faq.html

    Another great source: http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html 10 myths...
    >Even a posting on Usenet has a copyright unless the person explicitly puts that it is public domain.
    >
    Are you reproducing an article from the New York Times because you needed to in order to criticise the quality of the New York Times, or because you couldn't find time to write your own story, or didn't want your readers to have to register at the New York Times web site? The first is probably fair use, the others probably aren't.
    Fair use is usually a short excerpt and almost always attributed.
    In other words, don't copy more then you have to....

    And just so you know, the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) made the laws a LOT more powerful.

    Remember, copyright is automatic now. You do NOT have to register anything. So any original work has a copyright the minute it is created. So if you want to cut and paste, either get permission, or wait 120 years... Even something written by a minor is protected.

    More links:
    http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellec...y/distance.htm Copyright in cyberspace
    http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellec...y/cprtindx.htm Crash course in Copyright
    \"Ignorance is bliss....
    but only for your enemy\"
    -- souleman

  2. #2
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    Thanks Souleman
    Hope this makes people think twice before they start copying-and-pasting tutorials...

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    So if it seems a little unorganized, get over it.
    I got over it ...and it was well worth the read. I second neg's hope that this will reduce the number of copy-and-paste tutorials.

    On a side issue I would have to query the international implications (ie the practicalities of enforcement of such copyright law on an international basis and the effect of Non US copyright laws).

    But that aside I fully support the implimentation of Souleman's guidlenes for tutorial posting for all members, regardless of the posters county of origin.

    Good job Souleman - you get the green ones...
    \"I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.\"
    Sir Winston Churchill.

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    AntiOnline Senior Member souleman's Avatar
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    I wish people would start taking the advise for other posts also. I am still seeing a lot of news articles, press releases, etc etc that are cut and paste of the entire article. All you need to do is say hey, xxx has been released. Download at www.whatever.org More info at www.whateverelse.com
    \"Ignorance is bliss....
    but only for your enemy\"
    -- souleman

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    For all those who will be posting links pointing too articles, please give a short synopsis of what the articles are all about and not just a link!
    Bukhari:V3B48N826 “The Prophet said, ‘Isn’t the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?’ The women said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘This is because of the deficiency of a woman’s mind.’”

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    AntiOnline Senior Member souleman's Avatar
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    Good point Tedob1. I hate seeing something that just says...
    Check this out.... http://www.whatever.com
    At least tell us what it is, so we know if we want to take the time to go. There is a happy medium between too much, and not enough.

    ntsa> circular 38a deals with countries that follow the US copyright.
    There is also the Universal Copyright Convention and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
    http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/international.html <---crappy site
    http://www.law.cornell.edu/treaties/berne/overview.html <--- Berne Convention
    http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache...ng_en&ie=UTF-8 <--- circular 38a (googled html of pdf)
    http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ38a.pdf <---download circ38a
    \"Ignorance is bliss....
    but only for your enemy\"
    -- souleman

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    Copyright law in the UK is very similar, which is good, since all my tutorials etc. are protected
    Just thought I'd mention that since someone said something about international implications.
    One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them.
    One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
    (The Lord Of The Rings)
    http://www.bytekill.net

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    Love to see that a lot of people are against cut and pasting other than me. But if you look further into the copyright law, at least in the U.S., while your work is protected there is nothing you can do about somebody using it unless they are doing it for profit. So I don't think we will see this end anytime soon.

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    yeah thanks for the tutorial, I hope everybody will read it and learn from it.

  10. #10
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    Very good tutorial. Thank you.

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