Book People Archive

Re: Archives and copyrights


I worry that the files are not clearly marked internally and externally
as to whether they are public domain or not [under US copyright is enuf].

This should be pretty much the first thing you see when you open the file.

At Project Gutenberg this is the first few lines you see when copyrighted:

***

**This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg Etext, Details Below** 
                                                                 
Copyright laws are changing all over the world, be sure to check 
the laws for your country before redistributing these files!!!   
                                                                 
                                                                 
Big Dummy's Guide To The Internet                                
(C)1993, 1994  by the Electronic Frontier Foundation [EFF]       

***

If the files are under copyright restrictions, just label them as such.

If the files are public domain, they should be clearly marked as such,
at least as far as your local copyright laws go, and it should be part
of the label to identify which country's copyright laws apply to you.


I worry quite a bit that most all the Etext servers are very limited
in their approach to this, preferring to bottleneck, even if for only
a few hours or weeks, while people have to ask permission to copy.

Copying public domain files should be a matter of course, without any
requirement for anyone to ask, especially from anyone with the library
label attached to their site at a publicly funded institution. . .the
trouble is the these libraries are at the forefront of what I call
"limited distribution". . .these files should be available from sites
all over the world only a day after they are first posted. . .and hits
should be easily relayed. . .if that's how you are keeping score. . . .


Thanks!

So nice to hear from you!


Michael S. Hart
<hart@[redacted]>
Project Gutenberg
"Ask Dr. Internet"
Executive Director
Internet User ~#100