Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!sugar!flatline!erict From: erict@flatline.UUCP (j eric townsend) Newsgroups: news.misc Subject: Re: The Cincinnatus Society of Pinheads Summary: Oh god, here we go with copyright law again. Message-ID: <391@flatline.UUCP> Date: 20 Oct 88 21:42:06 GMT References: <15638@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> <7068@dasys1.UUCP> Organization: one bitchin' 3b1 in Tx.Houston.the-Montrose Lines: 41 I think Copyright law should be included in the "things to learn before you're allowed access to Usenet" file.... In article <7068@dasys1.UUCP>, tneff@dasys1.UUCP (Tom Neff) writes: > In article <15638@agate.BERKELEY.EDU> weemba@garnet.berkeley.edu (Obnoxious Math Grad Student) writes: > >Last January, I posted an article to sci.{astro,physics}... > > [gruesome little tale of sicko IQ snobs ripping off said article, > > reprinting it without attribution in their pathetic newsletter] > > Unfortunately I believe anything you post here is in the public domain > unless you take the trouble to (C) Copyright your remarks every time. Bzzt. Under the most recent Copyright laws, anything you produce is protected the instant you create it. You can retro-copyright works, however, you aren't as protected by the laws as you would be if you had Copyrighted it to begin with. Thus, I could write a review, post it to Usenet w/o a Copyright notice, and if somebody reprinted it without my permission, sue them. My chances of winning more than the barest minimum of damages are low, though, since I didn't copyright it to begin with. I can still win damages, it's just a hell of a lot harder. Rule: If you really care about it, Copyright it. All it takes is putting "Copyright " in the work, on the work, or as a part of the work. (On the back of a painting is legal, for instance.) If you don't care about it that much, don't bother. It's still protected, but you can't win as much. (Thx. to my Media Law, Media Ethics, and Communications Law professors for beating this into my head. :-) -- "Imitation is the sincerest form of Television." - Mighty Mouse (and R. Bakshi) J. Eric Townsend smail: 511 Parker #2, Houston, Tx, 77007 Inet: COSC3AF@george.uh.edu UUCP: uunet!nuchat!flatline!erict Bitnet: COSC3AF@UHVAX1.BITNET ..!bellcore!tness1!/