> Just to clarify copyrights, as best as I can from a laymen's view, I
> believe existing law in the USA recognizes that published material is
"born
What Barney said was basically right. To add to it slightly. The USA has
some of the most pathetic copyright laws in the world. Too many interest
groups I guess.
Let's face reality. If you believe a copyright notice or mark will protect
you, you neither understand the law (you don't need the notices or marks)
nor the world you are submitting your work. If you put something on the
internet, it's out in a largely unenforceable free market, and things will
get pinched. Think of it like a lock - locks only keep out honest people.
The question is, what can/do you do about it.
You can ask them to stop, and this works surprisingly often.
You can take legal action, but if it's not a big issue and the person doing
the pinching isn't making money, you are going to look silly...
To be pragmatic: only put something on the internet if you don't mind
someone else using it, and, perhaps, profiting from it.
Frankly, I don't have a lot of sympathy for someone who complains that his
work was stolen from the internet (and yes, it has happened to me) because
it suggests they haven't thought very carefully about what they are doing.
Think about that for a moment, then consider how much value you should put
on information gained from the internet. Some people put information on the
internet out of the goodness of their heart (I won't put any of my writing
on the internet if a publisher will pay me money for it). Some people put
information on the internet, because no one will publish it elsewhere -
hmm, what's wrong with it.
My attitude probably sounds a little tough, especially to Kai who has been
bitten. However, the internet is a wild zone, wild as in uncontrolled. You
can no more complain about the sharks on the net as you can about the
sharks in the ocean. It's sad that the internet has gone this way, but it's
the way of society. Clean up society, and we clean up the net by default.
The best solution is a long, hard drive in your MG. It doesn't help the
problem, but by crikey you feel better.
Cheers
Richard
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