Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!brahms!weemba
From: weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Wimpy Math Grad Student)
Newsgroups: net.news
Subject: Re: Copyright & Fair use for written material
Message-ID: <14997@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Fri, 25-Jul-86 04:06:14 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.14997
Posted: Fri Jul 25 04:06:14 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 25-Jul-86 20:50:41 EDT
References: <350@infinet.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: weemba@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (Wimpy Math Grad Student)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 19

What I find most troublesome from the point of view of fair use are song
lyrics, poems, and extremely short stories.  It's not possible to reas-
onably quote anything less than 20 or 30% from most of these.  I suppose
that after quoting that much, most people feel the typing effort to fin-
ish is obligatory, and then we get the whole thing.  This habit makes me
nervous.

Thus, there was recently a rash of postings of the theme song from Mr Ed.
No one complained about copyright violation.  I would like to post a re-
cently formed 402-word palindrome for pi, in the form of a self-referen-
tial short story, but it's copyrighted, and I'm too lazy to write to the
publisher.  So it goes in the world.

I get the impression that a lot of people on the net are just plain ig-
norant of the existence and significance of copyright law.  Perhaps part
of the posting process should include, right before submitting, a remin-
der about copyrights.  Not that I think it would do any good ....

ucbvax!brahms!weemba	Wimpy Grad Student/UCB Math Dept/Berkeley CA 94720