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From: Ray Beere Johnson II <>
Subject: Re: [APG] meaning of "public domain family tree"
Date: Fri, 15 May 2009 11:39:18 -0700 (PDT)


--- On Fri, 5/15/09, <> wrote:
> I suppose it's meaning should be obvious -- a family tree
> in the public domain.? But, I have once or twice seen the
> word "the" in front of the phrase;? with the word "the" in
> front, the phrase takes on a potentially much different
> meaning.? Am I missing something here?

Although I don't know what it means, it must have a specific meaning - unless the individuals using it are being redundant. You can't copyright facts, and the principle of "creative arrangement" won't get you very far (after all, the arrangement of a family tree is based entirely on the facts - the only decisions a compiler makes involve the accuracy of those facts), so a family tree (as opposed to a narrative of a family's history) would by implication always be a part of the public domain.
Ray Beere Johnson II





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