LOOKUP-L Archives

Archiver > LOOKUP > 1998-08 > 0902516598


From: Helen Parsonage< >
Subject: [LOOKUP-L] Re: creating WWW sites and copyright
Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 15:03:18 -0400


I thought the following summary of Copyright might be of interest to you
all - especially item 1. The Look-Up Exchange continues to get the odd
message from FHSs claiming we infringe copyright. WE DON'T!. Forward any
such mesages to Mike or Helen, or use the material below. Not one FHS has
maintained their 'objection' past the first exchange of mail : - )

Helen

> From: (Andrew Billinghurst)
>
>
> 1) There is a copyright mailing list at RootsWeb that is available to
> genealogists to discuss these very specific matters, to get the
> proper address and sub details go to
> http://www.rootsweb.com/~maillist
>
> 2) You CANNOT copyright an index, there is no artistic merit. You
> can copyright the physical production of that index so that it cannot
> be reproduced, you can have intellectual property rights to an index
> if it is on a database (similar but different to copyright). However
> something like CyndisList (which BTW has references to copyright
> information) is protected in the design, presentation and collation
> of the material by intellectual property.
>
> 3) Crown copyright is different to normal copyright but the major
> difference that I see is that it does _not_ expire. eg. birth
> certificates etcc. are copyrighted but it is the NOT the information
> but the certificate production. Yes the GRO owns the copyright over
> the PRODUCTION of the index but not the information that it contains.
>
> 4) You cannot copyright facts, you can retain some intellectual
> property to some components of knowledge, design, research, etc. but
> it is not copyrighted. So any fact of life, event, etc cannot be
> copyrighted.
>
> 5) Maps and other artistic works are COPYRIGHT protected because they
> have artistic merit, and that comes down to each individual map.
> Websites and the presentation of information on these pages falls
> under this category. Each webpage in its entirety comes here but
> note not the specific information.
>
> I hope that in a nutshell addresses the matters that you raised
> Kathy. Note that I am no expert but this is my understanding from
> reading and experience. I am sure that there will be corrections
> presented by better informed people to this info.
>
> Regards Andrew
>
>
> On 7 Aug 98, at 5:47, Kerry Raymond <> wrote:
>
> > I notice a number of people have WWW sites with various snippets of
> > information that have come from various indexes. E.g. there are selections
> > from the St Catherines Index available at various WWW sites.
> >
> > However, what are the copyright implications of doing this? E.g. does
> > the GRO in the UK own the copyright over the index? If so, wouldn't
> > reproducing parts on it on the WWW be a breach of copyright?
> >
> > I'm not interested in the reality of the situation (that few copyright
> > holders can be bothered to pursue minor infringements), nor in the
> > morality of the situation (whether there is a public "right" to the
> > information). I'm just interested in whether indexes are copyright
> > material or not.
> >
> > Kerry
> >
> >
=============================================================================
> > Dr Kerry Raymond, Architecture Unit Leader E-mail:

> > CRC for Distributed Systems Technology Phone: +61 7
3365 4310
> > University of Queensland 4072 Australia Fax: +61 7
3365 4311
> > =========================================== WWW:
http://www.dstc.edu.au/kerry
> >
>
>
> --
> Andrew Billinghurst mailto:
> (Boss Cocky) mailto:
> mailto:
> Listowner, GENANZ-L & GENANZ-D at RootsWeb / soc.genealogy.australia+nz
> GENANZ at RootsWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~billingh/
> I can spell, I just cannot tipe. :-)

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