X-Message-Number: 5142
Date: Wed, 8 Nov 1995 21:58:55 -0800 (PST)
From: "Kevin Q. Brown" <>
Subject: Re: reprint rights

In message #5125 Mike Perry <> said:
  " . . . It's my understanding that there is no copyright, etc. on 
  CryoNet postings unless explicitly stated otherwise, so permission to 
  reprint articles and extracts, with attribution, is granted automatically.
  (Right?)"

Mike,
Even though I don't claim copyright on the messages (I didn't write
them), or on the compilation of the messages, I suspect that the author
of each message still retains the copyright.  (You had better ask a
lawyer to be sure.)

When joining the CryoNet mailing list, though, everyone is told about its
on-line archives and also gets the following notice in the welcome message:

  REDISTRIBUTION: CryoNet messages may be redistributed electronically
  to other people not on the mailing list.  (Once the messages get
  distributed to hundreds of people via email, CryoNet has no control
  over what people do with them.)  If you do not wish this to happen,
  please indicate so in your posting.

I include that message to remind people that once something gets sent out
electronically, they lose practical control over its distribution (even
though they may retain legal rights over its distribution).  The existence
of the on-line archives also should make that clear.

I would not say that "there is no copyright" because I don't know that.
(Copyright is a legal matter and my "REDISTRIBUTION" reminder does not
directly address it.)  So far we have gotten along well simply by being
courteous.  When you want to publish CryoNet messages, especially in
hardcopy form, it's always considered good form to ask permission
of the authors.

Another case is electronic recreation of the entire archives, such as
those that Keith Lynch recently created (after consulting with me and
also Tim Freeman) at:
    http://www.access.digex.net/~kfl/les/cryonet/
and:
    ftp://ftp.digex.net/pub/access/kfl/public_html/les/cryonet/
and announced to CryoNet.  I see that as an enhancement to the
"" archives, since the WWW/FTP access he provides
(free of charge) is so much better than just email-based retrieval. **
(Consider the complete archives to have _moved_ to his site.)

On the other hand, if someone retrieved the entire archives and then
tried to _sell_ them, I suspect that the authors of the various messages
would want to assert their claim to copyright.

                                   Kevin Q. Brown
				   

 ** The http://www.c2.org/~kqb/cryonet.html archives also are accessible
    via WWW, but they are not complete due to charges for file storage
    beyond the quota for the account.


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