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From: steve@thelake.UUCP (Steve Yelvington)
Newsgroups: news.newusers.questions
Subject: Re: I want to print some articles
Message-ID: <1128891003486955@thelake.UUCP>
Date: 28 Dec 89 16:03:48 GMT
References: <2592602E.26361@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> <1989Dec26.160721.4421@twwells.com> <627@grape3.UUCP>
Reply-To: thelake!steve@umn-cs.cs.umn.edu
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In article <627@grape3.UUCP>,
     king@cell.mot.COM (Steven King) writes ... 

>In article <1989Dec26.160721.4421@twwells.com> bill@twwells.com (T. William Wells) writes:
>>In article <2592602E.26361@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca> johns@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Conan the Barbarian) writes:
>>: there a way I could grab some of the articles from here on USENET and put
>>: them in the newsletter if I gave proper credit?  Or should I contact the
>>: author of the original article?
>>
>>Better ask the author. Failure to do so could get you sued. You
>>might well lose such a suit.
>
>I'm no legal beagle, but it seems to me that if you post to a world-wide
>public-access network you hardly have much to complain about (or much legal
>ground to stand on if you do complain about it) if someone re-distributes your
>words in a free-for-nothin' newsletter.  You've already said something
>publicly, is there really anything wrong with that opinion being repeated?
>
>To be sure, it's a breach of ettiquette to not ask permission to reprint a
>post, but I certainly hope legal action can't be taken on account of it.
>

Anybody can file a lawsuit.  Winning one is another matter.

The posting of a public message clearly extends to each recipient the
right to reproduce that message. Claiming otherwise doesn't make sense. If
I don't have that right, then the network ceases to exist. That's all
there is to Usenet.

However, assuming e-mail works, asking permission is a courteous thing to
do, and courtesy is a good thing.


-- 
   Steve Yelvington at the snow-covered lake in Minnesota
   Reliable UUCP path: ... umn-cs.cs.umn.edu!thelake!steve