MAK wrote:
Also,
there are rules concerning personal vs public usage. I happen to
think that
our web pages would be personal usage, while the archives would be public
usage...
I agree with you up until this point, Marsha. Quoting something as
small as a single obit with source notes should be acceptable. However,
I believe personal use would imply a single copy for yourself or one or
two cousins.
Once we submit anything to an email list or any web site or ftp site, it
has become publically accesible, even "published" according to some
editorial places.
I honestly feel that a single obit will not get anyone into trouble, but
even a day's worth of an obit column might be challenged. Of course, if
they have one writer publishing the obit column, and your single
"re-published" obit was half of that's day's work, the writer could sue
for copyright infringement. It gets touchy, because we are discussing
someone's livelihood.
I have an obit on one of my surname pages, and will probably add more
family obits, as they are from many sources. But web designers --
especially the volunteers who will take the blame for submitted
articles/data, need to know they could be challenged. Best to contact
the paper for permission, or ask for a copy of permission granted to
someone else.
In lieu of publishing the obit/article on a page, you can always give
the vital stats of the decedent with an email link to whoever has a copy
of the obit. Sending an email or photocopy of an obit to a single
person (or the number of people who would actually request it) would
definitely fall under "fair use."
***Just my opinion, gathered mostly from genealogical lists and writer's
groups.***
Aileen
coordinator for Chippewa, Crawford and Portage Counties WiGenweb
and Kern, Imperial and Los Angeles Counties, CAGenWeb
--
Aileen Fish Underwood
garyu(a)prodigy.net
http://members.xoom.com/mygenes/index.html My Genealogy pages
http://members.tripod.com/~ancestors_found/ Ancestors Found!
http://members.xoom.com/aileenu/index.html Aspen Dawn Heirlooms