[pct-l] Copyright

[g l]

Brian,

Thank you for this most interesting info.  I was secretly hoping there might be an attorney out there somewhere!  Your post brings good news!  I wonder if you have to have your OWN website though, to protect your rights??  (Rent the domain,or whatever...I'm not very savvy about these things......whereas on TJ.com or MySpace, etc., someone else is paying for it and you're getting the use of it.....seems like that would grant the owner some kind of rights to whatever was published there).

Also, I think Yogi is using direct quotes from interviews with hikers, in her book.  Not sure though.

Thanks again,

Wheeew
Brian Forestell <briandid at telusplanet.net> wrote:       Hi
  
 I am a small town lawyer so I probably have a bit  of info on this matter.  Whether you officially copyright your words or not  as soon as you put your words down on paper (or electronically) you have a  copyright over them.  No one else can use your words without your  permission.  You would have to make a specific deal (we lawyers call it a  contract) with Trail journals to sell/give/transfer your copyright to  them.  I checked the Trail Journals site and there is nothing like  that.  Therefore, when you publish on line you do not loose or transfer  your copyright automatically.  When you publish on  line you widely distribute your words so the value of your  copyright may be diminished.  Several years ago an Australian guy  wrote a book called Dances with Marmots chronicling his PCT hike and he couldn't  get it published so he put it on line.  He eventually published it.  I  already had a copy of his book in electronic form so he lost at least one  potential customer. 
 Even though he originally published his book on  line he did not loose his copyright.  No one could use those words without  his permission.  When someone publishes on line there is a general  understanding that there is going to be some copyright infringement.  For  example, if I am reading your journal and I think you have a very well written  story I might cut and paste it into a letter to friend.  I notice that Yogi  regularly quotes from journals in her guide and you would have to ask her what  she does to avoid copyright infringement.
  
 If you have any more questions feel free to  ask.
  
 Trouble
  
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-Wheeew-
www.trailjournals.com/wheeew/
---->MexiCan----> 2008
       
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