FW: Oracle experts are disgusted with SQL Server User Group

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From: Mark W. Farnham [mailto:mwf_at_rsiz.com] Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 5:35 PM To: Ethan.Post_at_ps.net
Subject: RE: Oracle experts are disgusted with SQL Server User Group

There is indeed a large body of doctrine and common law on fair use in not for profit and educational uses and there are indeed different rules when you start taking money for it.

For example, sing someone's song at a recreational open mike at the village common where no one is paying anything? No problem. Sing someone's song at an open mike in a bar where the bar is making money selling drinks? The bar better be paying ASCAP or there WILL be trouble. If everyone starts using "CopyLeft" then paid digest and abstracting sites will run into a problem. But I think as a layman it will be very difficult to restrict people from offering links to public sites (unless it is part of an attempt at denial of service.) They are not in fact copying the material if they just supply the link.

Whether any of the differences in fair use for non-profit purposes versus use for profit apply in this case, I don't know. I didn't read their fine print, but if they hung their hat on the service being provided as essentially a clipping service it will likely be difficult to stop them legally regardless of how we feel about the ethics.

I know I don't plan to send them money, but possibly some folks want to know an article is good before they bother reading it and they think these folks can do it.

Regards,

mwf

However, I don't see how you draw the conclusion that because someone makes money they now have an obligation to do something they did not have prior to making money...ie...free bloggers can post links without asking, bloggers who charge must ask permission??? =20

They are not making money on the "sole" effort of others. There is effort that goes into putting this information together as I stated in previous post. Can you imagine the strain this would plain on the flow of information?

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http://www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l Received on Thu Dec 02 2004 - 16:35:53 CST