Theos-Talk Archives (November 1997 Message tl00199)

In message <3.0.3.32.19971113073937.0082b6d0@imagiware.com>, Eldon B
Tucker <eldon@theosophy.com> writes
>Perhaps a discussion of what are the types of Internet
>publishing and what their ground rules should be
>might be useful.

Well now, if I put something on my website, I consider I am inviting
anyone who visits the site to do what they will with the contents, else
why put it there?  Even if I put a copyright notice on something, I do
not realistically expect any web-surfer to take any notice of it.
Commercial organisations on the web use a "secure site" option to
prevent things such as software piracy (viz., URLs beginning https://)
so presumable there is a way for people who wish to preserve their
copyright to do the same?  I recently visited the Theosophical History
website, where I discovered that if I wish to read anything published by
them which is not on the site, I must send them the appropriate fee for
the publication concerned.  It seems to me, therefore, that the Internet
is already developing its means of protection for copyright material,
and those who worry about it will need to adopt a security strategy to
avoid copyright infringement.

My own writings which are available on the internet are freely avalable
to anyone who cares to download them.  If I don't want them to do this
(or anything else after having downloaded them) then I had better not
put them there in the first place.  To adapt an old precept,

"Let the poster beware."

Alan