Would like to be informed fully on what is classed as copyright breaching. Regarding of what is allowed before a breach has been made. As in my case I am at present in a partially handicapped state. Are we / Am I committing breach of copyright by what we ask one another / what we find and pass on verbally, by e-mails or post.
Instance - same mid 1850's photograph - two different sites - one has copyright protected over it, the other with no markings at all. Am I breaching by scanning & freely supplying copies to people who have an interest on either.
Should I just inform them of what site it's on?
Is it only an offence when money is asked for your findings, supplying of?
Does this ever come into effect on and what info. we pass on to each one of us of census / bmd regs / newspaper articles / electoral etc.
Thanking you all in advance for reading, much appreciated.
Regards Just J
What you are asking is actually impossible to give.
Copyright protection is very precise and it depends on what you want to copy, when it was produced, whether it has been previously published what form it takes picture, photograph text etc., etc.
Some people also claim that facts cannot be copyright, that claim is based on the copyright laws of the USA not of the UK or Europe where facts can and are copyright and case law has upheld this with fines for those who transgress.
Note even a few words or a sentence from a book can in certain circumstances make the copyist liable under the copyright Act there is no minimum amount which is allowed before the law kicks in.
This came under UK law with Database Right in 1997 which is part of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as amended.
The relevant law is available here
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01l9t/Hope this helps
Cheers
Guy
PS I should add copyright here in the UK is automatic it does not have to be registered as soon as something is put down in a tangible form it is copyright.