Copyright

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From: Michael C. Morrison 8-543-4706 (mmorrison@VNET.IBM.COM)
Date: Mon 09 Sep 1996 - 23:36:48 EEST

Hal Bowman and Dave Dunham discuss copyright law. While I am not a
lawyer, my understanding of copyright differs (somewhat) from both.
Here is my interpretation (applies to US copyright; I make no claims
for international copyright, although I suspect it's similar):

Fair Use: You can make one copy any document (or anything copyrighted)
for your own use, or for backup (usually applies to computer software).
You cannot sell or otherwise distribute this copy, without prior
permission from the publisher, or if unpublished, the author/creator.
You must ensure that the original copyright notice (if any) is copied
along with the rest of the work. If there is no copyright, be sure to
list the author's/creator's name and the date the work was created.

So, you are free, AFAIK, to make _one_ copy of any work, in print or
not. Just don't sell it or give it to your friends ... Of course,
the BUTS (or whatever the latest acronym is) proposed to make many
copies (either complete or in part) of several works, and for this
we need permission from the publisher (usually, Chaosium or AH) or
author (most often, Greg).

Now, copyright isn't forever. From the date of creation or from the
date of copyright, a work is protected for a limited time (I think
it's 54 years, but I am not certain). After that time, the copyright
owner or author/creator or his or her heirs can reapply for copyright.
If the work is not re-copyrighted, it falls into the public domain --
allowing anyone to do whatever they wish with it. This is what keeps
publishers such as Dover in business -- reprinting books that have
become public domain. Of course, this isn't likely to help us any
time soon ...

I'd like to have given some Gloranthan content in this post, but my
Glorantha is on the blink. But because so much of the RQ2 material
is out of print, I thought I'd clarify/muddy the copyright issue.

Cheers,

Michael
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Michael C. Morrison Santa Teresa Laboratory Phone (408)463-4706
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