[thelist] More Smart Tags

aardvark roselli at earthlink.net
Mon Jun 25 14:53:15 CDT 2001


> From: Martin <martin at members.evolt.org>
> >
> >what's being changed?  your content?  
> As presented to the user, yes.

your content is the same... the presentation *is* altered... but i 
want to make sure we're on the same page... and it looks like we 
are the way you've qualified it...

> >your code?  
> As presented to the user, yes.

no, it's not...

> >no, just the 
> >presentation... and guess what, all browsers affect the presentation
> >anyway, based on rendering quirks and rules...
> But they don't change *intent*.

well, isn't that up to user perception again?  if a non-CSS browser 
renders my pages horribly, that sends a completely different 
message to the user... and it does affect perception...

intent, well, that's nebulous to the user... and these SmartLinks, as 
they are proposed, aren't exactly changing intent, although there is 
a whole lotta room for lawyer-types to argue that point better than i 
could... and frankly, given that i don't care for MS or SmartTags, i'd 
rather not try it for free...

> >> HTML is very clearly covered by IP, and I would strongly expect
> >> that the links (or lack thereof) is part of your expression.
> >
> >where is HTML clearly covered by IP?  
> 
> As the expression of intent, just as any other code is. Just because
> a) it's visible to users b) it's a fairly simple language doesn't
> change that.

the end-product is covered, not the HTML... i wanted to know 
examples, though... caselaw, etc, where, specifically, HTML has 
been protected...

> >this isn't part of my point, 
> >but i'd like to see some documentation on that since everything i've
> >seen says HTML is too generic to be covered by IP...
> 
> Remember that this is not the 'stealing' bit of IP, it's the 'using my
> IP in ways which I didn't sanction' bit. The test case is actually the
> first re-editing of the Monty Python shows for US TV. Python sued and
> won. Hands down.

no content is being removed or re-ordered... meta information is 
being offered, not directly inserted...

> >and those aren't links, those are highlights inserted by the browser
> >with meta-content... 
> 
> I fail to see the difference. They link off elsewhere? They're links.

they're not links, they don't function like links... you don't click and 
go, you click and get a menu... *much* different...

> >well, they aren't adding links, they are highlighting words..
> Which do what? Redirect the browser when you click on them?
> They're links, dammit.

no they're not, dammit.  your momma. yeah!  ...er...

> >however, if that META tag were strictly opt-in (instead of opt-out),
> >this would all be moot... so we should be focusing on that,
> >instead...
> 
> Agreed!

alrighty!

> >i don't give a rat's ass about fugly, but knowing how you can control
> > them via CSS is a very good question... how can you ensure they
> >aren't confused with other parts of your design?  
> 
> And don't conflict outrageously with your branding.

they looked purple in the caps, they will conflict with all branding...




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