Hello! I've only recently subscribed to the ferret list, but I must say I'm enjoying reading everyone's postings. There's a lot of interesting traffic on this list. I have a rather odd request, and I'm not sure of the best way to handle it, so if I've broken protocol or somehow circumvented the normal procedures, my apologies to the group and Chris Lewis, the list administrator. I'm working on a book about the Internet, and I'm interested in excerpting messages from the ferret mailing list as an example of how people with a specific (and rather esoteric or "out-of-the-mainstream") interest can share quality information via Internet mailing lists. As a point of courtesy (and because my publisher has asked me to receive written--via e-mail--permission from anyone whose postings I use) I'd like to make a general request to excerpt various messages from this list for use in the book. Rather than mail each member of the list individually, I was hoping this might be a more efficient way to handle things. I will only publish messages from those people who e-mail me directly. That way, no one's stuff ends up in the book unless they specifically give me permission to put it there. As a legal issue, the publisher wants me to request that you all use a specific paragraph in your responses to me, mainly to make sure they don't get sued for violating copyright laws. I'm more interested in the courtesy of respecting people's privacy, but I'll follow my publisher's wishes because asking permission seems to be the safest and most courteous course of action. Again, only those who e-mail me granting permission will have their postings published. (I don't plan on posting TONS of ferret messages--just a few choice ones that I think capture the spirit of the group.) Also, if anyone has any "favorite" messages or wants to make sure a specific point makes it into the book, please feel free to send them along to me directly (otherwise I'm content to "lurk" in the background and read the traffic). I think you guys have a great list going here (where else could I read about the secret of the dryer vent as a ferret escape hatch?!), and I look forward to reading your mail each time I log on. Here's the "legalese" paragraph. ---------- I certify that the material is my original work, that it may be used to promote or advertise the book, and that I am able to grant these permissions. I grant this permission without expectation of compensation or remuneration. I still retain copyrights to my material and granting this permission does not grant or transfer those rights to Ruffin Prevost of his Publisher. ---------- [I would have preferred that you had discussed this with me directly first. Then we don't have to "negotiate" too much and waste bandwidth here. I do not believe that this is the proper way to proceed. This is not merely "a point of courtesy". It is legally required. This is what you should do: 1) collect whatever material you think you would like to use. 2) at some point send email to the originator of the material, including the material you wish to use, asking permission to use it. 3) include in the email you send to the originator the boilerplate permission statement for "signature". I do not think that it is appropriate, nor legally binding, to use a-priori blanket copyright releases. You need to show the original author *what* you wish to excerpt before copying permission is valid. This does not apply to some of our authors tho. I believe, for example, Dr. William's material is, by law, a-priori free to copy. But you should check first. See his article below... This is, of course, ignoring aspects of "fair use"... As two additional questions: do you plan on attributing what you quote? Are you planning on offering copies of your book to contributors? Roger, if you're still out there, you might want to send Ruffin a copy of the FML article you published...] By the way, while I don't own a ferret, a friend of mine does. (Despite the fact that he lives in Calif., where ferrets are "illegal.") His ferret, Waldo (because we're always wandering around asking ourselves, "Where's Waldo?") is a lot of fun and much more interesting to play with than a dog or cat. As an esoteric anecdote of incidental interest, I should mention that I once spent a summer in Wyoming working as a newspaper reporter. I worked in Cody, Wyo., which is very near Meteetse, home of the endangered black-footed ferret. At the time I was in Wyo., there were supposedly less than a dozen black-footed ferrets in the wild, but I've heard they're making a slow but steady comeback. (Hurray!) Thanks for your help. Ruffin Prevost [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 0909]