> If you write something, you are considered to own the
> copyright to it.
Right. Anything a person writes is protected by copyright law. Registering
a copyright makes it easier to enforce. It's similar in a way to oral
contracts. If we are talking and agree on a contract, it's a valid
contract, but putting it in writing makes it easier to enforce, gives you
more legal clout.
> GT> I downloaded the DBA 101 page and printed it so I could usefully
benefit
> GT> from it. Was that wrong? Am I a lawbreaker now?
No. The key to copyright is it prevents a person from copying something and
selling it. The idea is to protect the person who writes something, so only
they can make copies and sell them. As a friend used to say, "We're talking
about money, honey." As long as you don't start selling copies of the paper
or, like Napster, allow people to get something free they would otherwise
have to pay for, you're fine.
> Can I put on my web site a copy of a paper
> that appears on the author's web site?
Yes. Although some people might assert that the paper they have written and
posted on their site is copyrighted, and therefore someone else can't post a
copy on another web site, it is certainly possible that a reasonable person
could disagree. One of the major points involved in copyright law has to do
with putting a created work into the public domain. After the set number of
years provided for in copyright law, a created work passes into the public
domain and anyone can make copies. But holders of a copyright have to be
very careful not to put a created work into the public domain themselves
during the time they would otherwise be protected by the law, because if
they do they loose copyright protection. A reasonable person could
certainly assert that when an author posts a paper on their web site for the
world to see and read, free of charge, they have placed it into the public
domain and lost all copyright protection. As a practical matter, however,
asking first is polite. As our British friends know, a little civility goes
a long way.
Tea, anyone?
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Author: Greg Moore
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