Latest Copyright FlameFest

[AJ Wright]

This debate seems to have arisen from an example that demonstrates why the
current definition of "fair use" bears little or no resemblance to real-life
behavior...what's the difference between The Posting to This List That Dare
Not Speak Its Name and someone posting a photocopy of a cartoon from the
morning paper at the company coffee pot? Not much...both would seem to be
violations of "fair use", i.e., unauthorized distribution of copyrighted
material...and yet, what have the copyright holders lost in either case?
Not very much...perhaps the big zip...as an author and a librarian, I tend
to side up with whoever is talking at the moment...but perhaps this problem
can be solved by expanding the notion of "fair use" to include more real-life
behavior...perhaps by requiring intellectual property owners to show real
damage or at least an intent to do such harm...hmmm....naaah, it'll never
happen....

As a side note, would be nice if several of the posters here would rachet
down their emotions a bit...naaah, it'll never happen...what was I thinking?

AJ Wright
Dept of Anesthesiology Library
School of Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Take my intellectual property, PLEASE: www.anes.uab.edu