Question on copy right.

kai · 10th December 2016, 12:01 PM

Hello Tim,

Quote:

What is the point of having and posting on a forum and using copy right ? Should this site be totally free.

I'm not sure what you refer to - maybe you want to elaborate?

Participating on our forum is free and the longstanding policy is: "Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here."
That's a lot better than just sending anything in a private email via Gmail/etc.; not to mention FB & Co.!

I for one would not want any info I freely share here to be utilized for commercial activities, etc. - so a general forum copyright does not seem like a bad idea IMHO. What do you propose? (Note that discussing forum policies is frowned upon and should be taken to Lee and the mods via PM; a bit of brainstorming may not hurt though...

)

Regards,
Kai

ariel · 10th December 2016, 01:52 PM

I seem to have an example.

Currently, some e-bay seller tries to sell a very interesting sword. I shall post pics and text when the auction ends.

In his description he cites a thread from this Forum allegedly proving high value of his item. In fact, the original discussion showed beyond doubt that a similar ( in fact identical) sword was a modern replica.

1. Did he violate Forum's copyright just by citing its materials without legal permission?

2. Does his willful misrepresentation of the context constitute an attempt to falsely implicate the Forum as an accomplice in his fraudulent activity?

3. Can owners of the Forum sue him?

Moderators and lawyers, please pitch in!

ariel · 10th December 2016, 02:16 PM

Other variants:

Commercial: Mr. X sells his item on e-bay. Can he write in the description " For detailed iconographic materials please see Vikingsword thread at www.... etc"?

Non-commercial: Mr.Y submits a research manuscript to a professional journal. Can he refer to a Forum thread as a source of information in the Discussion section?

Ridiculous: Mr. Z posts his item internally on the Sale and Swaps and wants to advertise its high historical and monetary value. Is it permissible to cite an opinion supporting his assessment on another internal and integral forum ( say, dealing with Antique European topic) ?

10th December 2016, 01:52 PM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I seem to have an example. Currently, some e-bay seller tries to sell a very interesting sword. I shall post pics and text when the auction ends. In his description he cites a thread from this Forum allegedly proving high value of his item. In fact, the original discussion showed beyond doubt that a similar ( in fact identical) sword was a modern replica. 1. Did he violate Forum's copyright just by citing its materials without legal permission? 2. Does his willful misrepresentation of the context constitute an attempt to falsely implicate the Forum as an accomplice in his fraudulent activity? 3. Can owners of the Forum sue him? Moderators and lawyers, please pitch in! Last edited by ariel; 10th December 2016 at 02:17 PM.

10th December 2016, 02:16 PM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Other variants: Commercial: Mr. X sells his item on e-bay. Can he write in the description " For detailed iconographic materials please see Vikingsword thread at www.... etc"? Non-commercial: Mr.Y submits a research manuscript to a professional journal. Can he refer to a Forum thread as a source of information in the Discussion section? Ridiculous: Mr. Z posts his item internally on the Sale and Swaps and wants to advertise its high historical and monetary value. Is it permissible to cite an opinion supporting his assessment on another internal and integral forum ( say, dealing with Antique European topic) ?