Copyright issues - updated, please read latest comments

We would just like to ensure that all our members are aware of the issues surrounding copyright and how it applies to users of this board.  

If you wish to show an image in your posting that isn't yours, maybe that you've found on a website or scanned from a book - please DON'T post the image up here without obtaining prior permission from the website/copyright owner.  Instead, simply provide a clickable link to the image in your message so that members can go and see it in-situ on the original site.  The same applies to text - if you've found some interesting information that you wish to post here either a) re-write using entirely your own words and giving a credit to the original site for the inspiration or b) provide a clickable link to the website so the information can be viewed in-situ.  Please don't cut and paste the information here word for word and attempt to pass it off as your own work.

There are a great many myths surrounding the issue of copyright - especially with regard to websites, with a great many people labouring under the misapprehension that any text or images posted on the web are in the public domain and therefore copyright-free - this is largely incorrect.  Some links regarding the issues of copyright are below - we would be grateful if members would take the time to read them and adhere to them at all times whilst on this site (and one would hope, elsewhere).

http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/copyright_myths

http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p13_permission

http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p05_copyright_infringement

Many thanks!

May I add that these copyright issues also apply to our own member postings. In other words, please DON'T use images or text posted here on this forum without obtaining the prior permission of the copyright owner. This board respects the copyright of others but also expects that our member's copyright is also respected. If in any doubt on these issues and the points raised, please contact me.

I have been contacted by a member who has asked if I'd mind explaining as succinctly as possible the copyright situation again specifically with regard to text and information (not images).

It's very simple really - if I was to post on a public message board the following passage:-

"Here is a wonderful blue 'Poppi' vase from the West German ceramic manufacturer Steuler, dating from 1963 and designed by Cari Zalloni."

The exact words used and the arrangement of them to make up that sentence (which incidentally comes from my website) IS my copyright however the information within that sentence ISN'T my copyright. So one could take that sentence and rewrite it as follows:-

"This vase is from the 'Poppi' range designed by Cari Zalloni in 1963 for Steuler"

This would NOT infringe my copyright. Basically with text the copyright will apply to a person's personal opinions and their choice of words and the arrangement of those words within a sentence - the hard information within that sentence is not copyrightable.

I do hope this helps anyone still concerned about the matter.

Pip wrote:I have been contacted by a member who has asked if I'd
mind explaining as succinctly as possible the copyright situation again
specifically with regard to text and information (not images).

It's very simple really - if I was to post on a public message board the following passage:-

"Here
is a wonderful blue 'Poppi' vase from the West German ceramic
manufacturer Steuler, dating from 1963 and designed by Cari Zalloni."

But I am assuming that if we, like you did, put the statement in
quotations and indicated that it was a direct quote from whereever that
quote came from (i.e. citing this web site properly, so that it could
be found in it's original form) that would be okay.

Just for the sake of academic debate, of course.

Carolyn

Actually Carolyn - no. If you want to reproduce someone else's copyrighted work, even if you quote the source and give a link, you must still obtain prior written permission of the copyright owner. This is why it's always best to simply provide a link to the information you wish to convey - rather than directly quoting the info or, if you're able, to completely rewrite it.

This is how it's done on the GMB and the way it should be done here too.

There are so many misconceptions about the subject unfortunately but I have looked into it thoroughly with help from Marcus, Frank and David - as a result of the recent situation we had here with a former member.

There's no copyright abuse on this forum I'm very happy to say - despite what you might be led to believe by others and this has been confirmed to me by the Forummotion admin team also.

I'm just taking this from an academic viewpoint wherein when writing
papers, etc. you can quote people, as long as you admit that you are
doing so and make it easy enough for them to find the origina. Of
course, if you put a link to the original, that's making it easy as
well. Guess I'm just not used to the newness of the technology.

Carolyn

We have just updated our copyright rules to allow Pinterest links to be posted if you wish to share an image of an object that you do not own, eg off an eBay listing. Pinterest has its own rules on Copyright, so we will simply assume that the image complies with those rules.

If you wish to copy and paste text from a non-selling site, please place it in quotes, include the link, and if it's a long piece then limit it to a couple of paragraphs... We take the view that this site is an important repository of information and would prefer it saved on here than be lost to future researchers.