If you aren't an editor of a newsletter, you don't have to read this
post.
If you ARE an editor, please read!!!!!
I have received a phone call back in November from a VERY irate Bob
Couch. He had just received a copy of my article on rebuilding the
brakes on the Morgan. The editor, apparently, cut the pictures I had
used out of the article, and simply inserted copies of the pictures
from his catalogue with his part numbers. There was NO credit given
to Bob or Morgan Spares for the photos. To make matters worse, only
1 company was sited for the brake parts, and it wasn't a Morgan vendor.
We spent about 45 min. on the phone with me trying to reassure him that
I had given him credit for using the pictures and that he and I had
talked back in about 90 when the original article was written and he
had given me permission to use the drawing at that time.
I got an email today from Linda. They had just received another news
letter that had used the pictures from the Morgan Spares catalogue and
cut them into my article and not mentioned Morgan Spares. Luckily the
editor didn't mention any parts suppliers.
To make a long story short, if you use any of my articles from the SOL's
Morgan Web page, or reprints from anyother club newsletter, (especially the
brake article)
1. Include any credits that I have given other people,
2. Credit the author of the aritcle,
3. Before you pull a drawing from the Morgan Spares catalogue, call
Bob and ask for permission. I'm pretty sure he'll give it to you,
with the stipulation that you credit Morgan Spares for the drawing.
I realize how hard it is to get copy for a newsletter. Most of you
should know by now that in addition to the Morgan Web page, I also
maintain the TechCentral on the Bricklin web page at:
http://bricklin.shel.olsy-na.com
and I also publish The Brickline the quartely magazine for the Bricklin
International Club. So I know how hard it is to fill a newsletter and
how easy it is to reprint something that has come from another
newsletter. But please, if you aren't using original material, credit
the author and the original publication source. This will help protect
you. Also if you want to use some drawings or pictures you've found,
check with the originator of the drawings/pictures.
I've been trying for over 3 months to get permission to use a cut away
picture of a Morgan +4 from a book publisher to no avail. I wanted to
put it up on the opening page of the Morgan Web page last time I was
able to do some major updates. But so far, the secretary has done her
job and kept whoever has the authority to give me permission isolated
from me. I've made about 5 phone calls and 3 faxes. Still not a word.
This can be very frustrating, but we should really get the owners
permission before we use anything that we (as editors) don't have the
original manuscript for.
Thanks for you time and co-operation.
John
John T. Blair WA4OHZ email: jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va Phone: (757) 495-8229
48 TR1800 65 Morgan 4/4 Series V
71 Saab Sonnett III 75 Bricklin SV1 77 Spitfire
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