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From: chris@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.news,net.legal
Subject: Re: Copyright
Message-ID: <2518@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 20-Jul-86 08:38:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2518
Posted: Sun Jul 20 08:38:36 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Jul-86 20:14:25 EDT
References: <451@hplabsc.UUCP> <2389@phri.UUCP> <21@paladin.UUCP> <2927@ism780c.UUCP>
Reply-To: chris@maryland.UUCP (Chris Torek)
Organization: University of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Sci.
Lines: 43
Xref: utcs net.news:4666 net.legal:4063

>In article <21@paladin.UUCP> bobg@paladin.UUCP (Bob Goldberg) writes:
>>	In todays world, almost anything worth discussing is 
>>copyrighted. If we were to gather in an informal group and discussed the
>>matter, that would be no violation of copyright (right?).

In article <2927@ism780c.UUCP> tim@ism780c.UUCP (Tim Smith) writes:
>Right.

... presumably because this is not considered copying.

It is clear that if I read a book and write something about it,
even including a few paraphrases from it, that this is not a
violation of copyright laws.  I have often wondered, however,
where the line is really drawn.  In particular, must those with
eidetic memories take special care?

I quote here from a standard copyright notice (is this a violation
of the copyright itself?  I do not think so):

	No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted
	in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
	including photocopying and recording, or by any informatoin
	storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing ....

However, when I read something, I am committing it to a chemical
information storage and retrieval system.  In some cases I may
remember passages word for word.  I appear to be in violation of
the copyright!  ---But this is of course silly: and I suppose the
restriction on me is that I not reproduce any memorised sections.
Yet I may do this entirely by accident.  Indeed, I am virtually
certain that much of the phrasing I use is lifted word for word
from various published works I have read: not with intent to copy,
but because I thought the wording effective, and thus remembered
and repeated it.

Now it is clear to me (though it may also be wrong) that this too
is fair use.  I do not worry about being arrested for remembering
things, nor for repeating them.  Yet still I wonder.  When should
I become concerned?
-- 
In-Real-Life: Chris Torek, Univ of MD Comp Sci Dept (+1 301 454 1516)
UUCP:	seismo!umcp-cs!chris
CSNet:	chris@umcp-cs		ARPA:	chris@mimsy.umd.edu