See "Thievery in the Digital Age," by Penny Bonnar,
pbonnar(a)win.bright.net, at
http://www.iigs.org/newsletter/9904news/thievery.htm.en
(Note: A genealogy/family history is considered a literary work.)
Bonnar says,
"The point is this: Intellectual property (which is not necessarily
limited to a literary work and can include other things such as graphics,
photography or art) posted on a webpage without proper attribution as to
ownership implies that the author of the webpage is the creator of that
particular piece of intellectual property. If that's not the case, then
the webpage author is guilty of intellectual theft.
"Too many Internet users today say, 'So what?'
"Such an attitude is unethical. The theft of intellectual property is
wrong and it is fraudulent to claim ownership of something which is not
yours.
"Genealogists should be asking themselves whether they can trust the
accuracy of information found on websites authored by people who copy the
work of others and fail to give proper credit or secure permission."
See "Restoring Ethics to Genealogy," by Barbara A. Brown,
babrown(a)fast.net, at
http://www.iigs.org/newsletter/9904news/ethics.htm.en
Brown says,
"I am saddened and alarmed to see the number of people who somehow
believe that, if it appears on the internet in any form, it is "public
domain" - and true - and ripe for picking."
. . . . . .
"It is vitally important for all who know something about genealogical
research to continue to unpopularly rail against the overwhelming tide of
poor or dishonest research and to continue to attempt to reach and teach
those who will listen. "
Alexandra Robbin