[WEB4LIB] Use of DDC in web displays

[Dan Lester]

Friday, December 22, 2000, 2:27:23 PM, you wrote:

JK> On our KidsClick! main page (http://www.kidsclick.org), we have a
JK> link towards the bottom that leads to an alternate image of the main page
JK> labeled "What does this page look like through a
JK> Librarian's Eyes?",
JK> (http://www.kidsclick.org/dewey.html)
JK> This was presented more in a spirit of play than as a serious navigational
JK> device, although we've heard of people using that way.

JK> Yesterday I received a very pleasantly written license notice from OCLC
JK> Forest Press; the stern part, however, noted:

JK> "Regarding KidsClick's current use of Dewey, our standard licensing
JK> policy requires libraries who wish to use the DDC Summaries (the first
JK> three levels of the DDC, e.g., 500 Science, 510 Mathematics, 513
JK> Arithmetic) on their Web site to be current subscribers to an electronic
JK> version of the DDC, either Dewey for Windows or WebDewey in CORC. We
JK> also require that such display of  Dewey numbers and captions reflect
JK> the latest edition of the DDC, and carry notice of our copyrights and
JK> trademarks."

JK> We're prepared to do the right thing, but I just wonder how this claim
JK> applies to our site and not to web-based catalogs that include Dewey
JK> call number displays and search capabilities. Anyone have a clue what
JK> the legal distinction would be?

I'm not a lawyer, thank goodness.  But they specifically mention the
user of the first three levels of DDC numbers, and not the call
numbers of specific books.  I imagine they sell (as do others, who've
undoubtedly licensed the right to do so) wall charts of DDC numbers
and other such aids for library instruction, user services, etc.
Personally, I think they're biting the hand that feeds them, but they
didn't ask me, and neither did their lawyers.

Happy holidays

dan



-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.postcard.org  www.gailndan.com