X-Message-Number: 1126
Date: 11 Aug 92 02:55:38 EDT
From: Paul Wakfer <>
Subject: Copyright Query for CRYONET

Keith Henson maintains it is a copyright violation to put a CRYONET
posting into a volume with other letters and postings, to print 125
copies of this volume and to distribute it free to a number of people,
all signed up cryonicists.  I disagree.  My reasoning is:

1) All the recipients could sign up on CRYONET and get it themselves.
2) He agrees that if I copied it and distributed it to a few (number   
   unspecified) friends this would not be a copyright violation.
3) I am not selling the volume containing his posting.

Furthermore, in order to be fair and complete, I included all the
postings in the sequence containing his, that were available when the
manuscript was put together.  I now make the offer to supply him with
address labels for those to whom the volume was sent, so that he can
send his last posting, the one which did not get included, if he will
agree to also send any further postings in the sequence.

Responses, at least to the copyright question, would be appreciated.

[ Paul, before diving into the technicalities of copyright law, it may
  be useful to first view this as primarily an issue of "netiquette",
  not law.  The people of the USENET community have an expectation
  of nearly unlimited electronic redistribution of their messages.
  People on publicly accessible mailing lists (such as this one) expect
  somewhat less electronic redistribution, but still to an unknown
  number of people.  (Some mailing lists, such as the Extropians
  mailing list, have more restrictive policies.)  But as soon as the
  messages become a "product" or a "publication" or show up in
  massive quantities in hardcopy, then people start to get nervous.
  It's kind of like unexpectedly seeing your picture or writing on
  the front page of the New York Times.  So my "Miss Manners" suggestion
  is to first send email to the authors of the messages to let them know
  that you intend to produce a large number of hard copies for
  personal, non-commercial use, just so that nobody gets surprised
  and upset.  If, by chance, someone disapproves, then you have some
  negotiation to do, but at least you can avoid unnecessary upset and
  concerns of potential copyright violation by asking first. - KQB ]

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