[thelist] Data Mining

[Dave W]

Hi Alll

Just to add to Angie's email, the magazine Web Techniques
(www.webtehniques.com) had a useful article on Copyright and how it applied
to databases.

Have a look at http://www.webtechniques.com/archives/1998/01/just/


Dave Williamson


> -----Original Message-----
> From: thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org
> [mailto:thelist-admin at lists.evolt.org]On Behalf Of Angie Ahl
> Sent: 02 January 2002 13:15
> To: thelist at lists.evolt.org
> Subject: RE: [thelist] Data Mining
>
>
> I need to point something out here that's so often misunderstood...
> this is really simplified and I'm not a lawyer...
>
> Copyright exists as soon as a person starts a piece of work. It
> doesn't even have to be a finished work to be copyrighted, just
> documented (ie if it's in your head you have no documentary evidence
> and cannot prove you came up with an idea first).
>
> An individual or group of individuals does NOT have to put the
> copyright symbol on an article or web page for them to have
> copyright. It exists by default. If you wrote it, it's your's whether
> you say so or not.
>
> There are exceptions for people employed by another to create
> something for them, best talk to a lawyer if you have any doubt's
> over this.
>
> Of course defending your copyright in court is easier if you've made
> it clear that it is yours. That's why people do it.
>
> If you're trying to extract sections of a directory like Yahoo it
> becomes really grey as technically they own the listing but they
> don't own the sites listed so it's a toughie.
>
> Contact the website owner and see if they are happy to let you use
> their content. It helps to put links back to the original site as a
> courtesy. But unless you've got the site owners permission you're
> probably breaking copyright somewhere.
>
> Just using their table layout with the results could be close to
> crossing the line. A designer has copyright on a site too :-)
>
> Important note:
> Information being public does not mean that that info is in the
> public domain. not in respect to copyright law anyway.
> Example:
> You read a synopsis of a book on the web, this doesn't mean the
> author let go of his copyright or moral rights to show the world the
> synopsis.
>
> If anything this is the point of copyright, so a person can
> publish/create a work without everyone else being able to claim it's
> theirs the second they read it, it's for your protection as well as
> the big corporations.
>
> Copyright is a mine field which is why lawyers make so much money try
> to protect someone's copyright, it's not clean cut sadly.
>
> If you didn't write it, ask the person who did. If you have an email
> from them saying you may use it then you're clear.
>
> I do know a few search engines let you use their content. generally
> you either pay for it or link to one of their pages so their banners
> are still there etc.
>
> Of course there's nothing to stop you using their directory to
> compile your list of links. However if you're actually calling a file
> off of their server you are directly using their content
>
> definitely ask them.
>
> HTH
>
> Angie
>
> >  > It depends what the data is. Explain in more detail please.
> >
> >That data in this case would be the contents of the directory or part of
> >it, like the web design category under yahoo for a specific region and
> >any other directory listing for that example.
> >
> >
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