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Archiver > Listowners > 1997-10 > 0876110846


From: Brian Leverich <>
Subject: Re: webpage help, please
Date: Sun, 05 Oct 1997 21:07:26 -0700


-- Your message was: (from ""Robert & Lisa Maddigan"")

> Can Census data be copyrighted?
> Is the data less than 75 years old?
> Did the family of the author extend the 75 year copyright when it expired
> for another 75 years?
> Is it copyright infringement if you quote the source?
>
> I understand copyrights a little bit and if you answer " No" to the above
> then it isn't a problem. Then again I could be wrong!

------------------

If you're quoting short passages to support your research, you can
always do that under the fair use provision of American law.

If you're talking about a mass of data, then things are messier.

Attributing the material to the source doesn't help at all.

If the data are on a CD-ROM, they can certainly be protected by a
license agreement. And they probably are.

If the data are a transcription published in a book, the material
*might* be copyrightable because possibly the analysis of the
handwriting does require some creative effort.

In any case, you're always better off going to the original source
material and and transcribing from there. Cheers, B.

--
Dr. Brian Leverich Co-moderator, soc.genealogy.methods/GENMTD-L
RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative http://www.rootsweb.com/
P.O. Box 6798, Frazier Park, CA 93222-6798

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