002.02 HO 10
.org—various Organizations
.gov—government
.edu—Educational
.mil—Military
.net—Network Resources
.com—Commercial/Business
Who are they?
What information do they possess?
Copyright gives authors or artists the legal right to exclude others from using their works. Copyright is automatic when a protectable work has been fixed in a tangible medium such as a floppy disk or hard drive. A poem or picture is as much protected on a disk as on a piece of paper or on a canvas. There are limits to copyright, however. Although e-mail messages and web pages may be covered by copyright, such protection is subject to limits. Copyright does not give its owners the right to sell or distribute such things as libelous
e-mail messages or works that are obscene or invade someone’s right of privacy.
Fair Use is one of the most important and least clear-cut limits to copyright. It permits some use of other’s works even without approval. For example, uses that advance public interests such as criticism, education or scholarship are allowable under fair use. But uses that generate income or interfere with a copyright owner’s income are prohibited. Fairness also means crediting original artists or authors.
Registration is needed before U.S. owners can bring suit, although web pages and e-mail messages are protected as soon as created. Registration costs only $30, but this could be very expensive when items are registered individually, unless you register multiple works as a collection.
For further information on Copyright, visit the following sites:
U.S. Copyright Office — www.loc.gov/copyright/circ/circ1.htm
Franklin Pierce Law Center — www.fplc.edu/tfield/copynet.htm
Privacy is a fundamental human right that has been affirmed to every individual by the U.S. Supreme Court, the constitutions and laws of many countries, as well as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Privacy must be preserved as we move from paper to electronic communications. The explosive growth of the Internet and online communications requires that governments reexamine policies that evolved in an era that has passed. Many governments are trying to understand how to apply and interpret privacy laws and rights in the new electronic world.
For more information on privacy issues on the Internet visit the following sites:
Internet Privacy Coalition — www.privacy.org
Electronic Privacy Information Center — www.electronicprivacy.org