Re: 6/1/98: Sacremento Bee article on Human Bar Codes

[Garrett Wollman <wollman>]

<<On Wed, 3 Jun 1998 16:07:31 EDT, ASchinella@aol.com said:

> without a website address, I was unable to do that and I felt the importance
> of proving my point dislodged any concern over copyrights. 

Too bad.  The law does not agree.

> While the article
> was posted on the Bee's website, which is copywritten, the article was not
> specifically copywritten which is often the case with web posted articles. 

In the United States, and in most other sensible countries, which are
signatories to the Berne Convention, all works are inherently
copyrighted from the moment of creation.  It doesn't matter whether it
has any sort of notice affixed.

>      I would also contend that other listers post articles that are
> copywritten and I don't see you castigate them.

Too bad for you.  If you want to run your own mailing-list, go ahead.
Freedom of speech belongs to those who hire their own hall.

> Why do I continually get your
> threats while no one else does?

Maybe because you haven't been around for long enough to remember the
previous incidents.  (Or maybe it's because you choose to be obnoxious.)

> You also use copywritten material in your
> weekly updates in which you do not pay for.

Right.  It's copyrighted by the author, Scott Fybush, who
intentionally posts it here.

> While you do mention where you got
> the information, as did I, you don't pay to use it either, so what's the
> point? 

INFORMATION is not subject to copyright -- only expression is.

> Title 17 USC section 107, copywritten material can be distributed "without
> profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving
> this information for nonprofit research and educational purposes
> only."

Even assuming your citation is relevant, who on this list has
``expressed a prior interest'' in the material you posted?  Certainly
I don't recall any such.

> kind is not desired. I don't recall recieving any "rules of the list" when I
> first subscribed, as well

Go read any introductory book on the Internet and netiquette.

- -GAWollman

- --
Garrett A. Wollman   | O Siem / We are all family / O Siem / We're all the same
wollman@lcs.mit.edu  | O Siem / The fires of freedom 
Opinions not those of| Dance in the burning flame
MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA|                     - Susan Aglukark and Chad Irschick

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