CALOSANG-L Archives

Archiver > CALOSANG > 2004-10 > 1098026841


From: "Sharyn Hay" <>
Subject: Re: [CALosAngeles] Pay ??? myfamily.com
Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2004 08:30:55 -0700
References: <20041017.062458.-339553.3.Zona.Himmelsbach@juno.com>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Zona I Himmelsbach" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, October 17, 2004 6:24 AM
Subject: [CALosAngeles] Pay ??? myfamily.com


> >I had two websites on My Family.com and when they started talking this
> mess
> >of charging I pulled all of my information off line so they couldn't
> sell my
> >research.
>
> Bobbye and listers,
>
> I wasn't aware that all the information I put in my myfamily.com's
> website would be taken by the LDS for their collection. Where can I
> verify if this is true?
>
> I, too, thought I had not given up publication rights. That is one
> reason I never went with FTM so Broderbund didn't get it.
> Zona

We're talking apples and oranges here, so as a Rootsweb volunteer
administrator, let me clarify some things.

1. Rootsweb is the free site owned by Ancestry.com (which is owned
by MyFamily.com). When you post your tree there, anyone can access
it for free and it is always free.

2. Ancestry.com is a subscription service. When you post your tree
there, people pay to see it. However, since Rootsweb is owned by
them, all Rootsweb trees are included in the Ancestry site. You can see
these trees for free at most Family History Centers and many libraries.

3. If you want your tree seen through the FamilySearch (LDS) site,
it has to be submitted to them by someone. The Pedigree Resource
File is *indexed* online, but to see the actual trees you must either
buy the CDs or access them through a Family History Center.

4. Genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker are owned by MyFamily.com
as are Rootsweb and Ancestry.com. If you use FTM and are online
at the time, a pop-up will ask if you want to submit your information.
*If you click to submit it* They then put the information on their CDs
and sell them. However, that information is also available by subscription
on the website.

The problem comes in as follows: I post my tree at Rootsweb, thinking
it will be free for all to see, and it is. Then my cousin adds my information
to her tree and sends it to the Pedigree Resource File. Now it appears
on the LDS site index, but people have to either pay for the discs or go
to their FHC to see it. She could also submit it to Genealogy.com and
it would also appear on their discs.

*There is no copyright* on vital data, only on the format of it and on any
narrative notes.* NOTHING* can stop anyone from obtaining data from my
online tree, checking it against the same sources I used, adding it to their
tree, and submitting it anywhere they choose. Doing so is not immoral,
unethical, nor illegal. There are no "publishing rights" where public records
are concerned. The only thing people cannot use without your permission
is your notes and narrative information.

Regards,
Sharyn

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