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Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site glacier.ARPA
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!glacier!reid
From: reid@glacier.ARPA (Brian Reid)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: public domain and copyright in netnews
Message-ID: <3424@glacier.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 23-Jan-86 02:08:27 EST
Article-I.D.: glacier.3424
Posted: Thu Jan 23 02:08:27 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 24-Jan-86 09:50:21 EST
References: <3273@glacier.ARPA> <147@ubc-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: reid@glacier.UUCP (Brian Reid)
Organization: Stanford University, Computer Systems Lab
Lines: 15


It is absolutely false that material posted to USENET is automatically in
the public domain. Perhaps in Canada (where ubc-cs is) that is true, but in
the United States all published material is automatically the copyright of
the author whether or not it has the "Copyright (C) 1986 XXXX" mark on it.
The copyright laws (rev. 1978) are extremely clear on this, and the
documentation published by the US Copyright office states this beyond any
possibility of misinterpretation. Material posted to USENET is the copyright
property of the poster under U.S. statute.

On the other hand, it might be true that the presence of a Copyright notice
might reduce the temptation to pilfer; if so, then such a notice is helpful.
-- 
	Brian Reid	decwrl!glacier!reid
	Stanford	reid@SU-Glacier.ARPA