Copyright (was: You have a postcard)

[Nick English]

> "(Copyright Laws: If any of the artists who own the lyrics in these
> postcards object to them being used in this manner, please email me and
> I will take them off my site)"
>
>
> O.K., at the risk of sounding somewhat prudish, I have to say that I don't
> think this cuts it at all.  This site appears to be in clear violation of
> copyright law.  The disclaimer basically says that they know what they
> are doing may be objectionable, but if the "artist" (who is not necessarily
> the copyright holder, and in the case of BOC's music, they probably are
> not) objects (assuming of course the "artist" finds out about the existence
> of this site), they will stop breaking the law once the artists asks to.
> Gee, did you think to get the artist/copyright holder's permission BEFORE
> you did this?  Is it o.k. to break the law as long as you don't get
> caught?

It's definitely illegal, John...but it doesn't bother me as much as
it does you. And I'll add here that it's a lot different than what
Barnicle did, because these postcard people aren't claiming to have
written the songs and lyrics...in fact, the disclaimer makes it clear
that they did not.

Personally, I just chalk it up in this fashion:  What do you expect?
This is the Internet. And I'm sure there is no net user out there who
has not, at one time or another, benefited in some way from
information or material that the poster did not have permission to
post! And to be quite honest, these people went farther than most to
acknowledge that they're using the stuff without authorization. I
imagine they're sorta trying to slip in the back door, so to
speak...depending on the kindness of strange artists, if you will,
and hoping that if any of them were to happen upon the site, they
would realize these folks are just in it for the fun and  not
prosecute!

To me, this has always been the bugger of the Internet -- It's
potential is huge as a source of alternative information, but there's
so much MISinformation out there that I end up really only trusting
sources that had credibility in the real world long before there even
was an internet, like the networks, Reuters, USA Today, ESPN, etc. Oh
well.

--  Nick