Hi ---


        We have a blanket copyright on every single page of our Web server.
The statement says that the Web site is owned by the Regents of the
University of California and any reproduction of material without consent
of the Museum of Paleontology or the regents is expressly forbidden.

        Do we have the power to enforce that copyright?  I think we do.
This is again a legalistic issue. As far as I understand the laws, and
I really am no expert, a copyright statement when put on a piece of material
has some meaning under the law.

        Personally, this is an issue we need to get past.  If I make a
drawing that looks a lot like Edward Gorey cause I like his stuff, and I
publish it, does E. Gorey have the right to sue me for impersonation?  If
someone decides that they want to play with one of my doctored images and
repost it to the web, do I really care?  As long as they do not seriously
misrepresent the Web site or the museum or the UC, I dont really care too
much.  I have used backgrounds from great sites that I like.  I have used
images from the Smithsonian archives in our Web site. We have tried to
acknowledge images we use when we use them.

        But if we really cared about the information being taken, it
would not be on the Web.  If you think your data is that important, do
NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, put it on the Web.  I do not plan to put preprints
of my papers on the Web... reprints yes, preprint no.  I do not plan to
put exact locality information on the Web.  County yes, locality no.  This
is a simple answer, like many answers about the Web.  Use your best
judgement.

Cheers,
Rob

Robert Guralnick | Museum of Paleontology | Department of Integrative Biology
U.C. Berkeley | Berkeley, CA 94720 | [log in to unmask] | (510) 642-9696