Carla writes:
>There is a ferret organization that has, without my permission, stripped
>my name *and* copyright notice from a handout I wrote and posted the
>article on their website.  The article is virtually verbatum to my
>original with only minor changes (changing the title very slightly and
>adding a reference to a new product in one paragraph).  Conveniently,
>they have added their organization as the contact point.
 
Carla,
 
As part of my current job, I teach a class in "copyright issues" on the
internet.  Mind you, I'm not a lawyer, just a regular joe who has done
alot of reasearch.
 
Have you registered the piece in question?  Registration doesn't make
something more or less copyright, but it does grant you three advantages.
 
1) The authorities automatically assume the piece is yours,
2) The right to collect double damages (actually, it might be triple,
I'll have to go back and look at my notes) if the infringement is made
knowingly,
3) The right to collect lawyers fees and court costs.
 
Inform the person who is infringing directly through a lawyer, using
registered mail.  This way if it does come to court, you can prove that
the person knowingly was infringing on your rights.
 
Folks, I can't stress how important it is to register anything you want
protected.  It only costs $25--and you can register whole series of things
(a bunch of ferret paintings, a group of related ferret stories, etc).
Great information on copyright law can be found at www.lawgirl.com
including on where to find the registration forms on-line (most libraries
have them as well) and what the process of registering includes.
 
Cheers!
Matthew.
[Posted in FML issue 2717]