April, 2001      Diablo Blue      Page 3

(Continued from page 2)

Before using any material from a Website, look for a statement that says that content on the site is freely available for copying and reprinting. Then read the fine print to be sure you understand the conditions of use. Only then can you legally and ethically copy and reprint text or images in your group or personal newsletter or Website
If you don't find such a statement, look for a button or link marked "Copyright" or "Terms of Use." In commercial Websites, such a link takes you to a statement, similar to the following, on "Reproduction of Images and Other Copyrighted Material Found on Web Sites."
"You should be aware that it is illegal to reproduce or distribute copyrighted material without the permission of the copyright owner. Accessing images or text provided on Websites does not give you any rights to use them as you wish. Only the copyright owner, or the owner's legal agent, can give you permission to copy, distribute, or publicly display protected material. The copyright owner in most cases is the creator. Images are generally owned by the photographer; text is owned by the author."
The wording may be different, but the intent is always the same: To establish legal ownership of the publication or website content, and to warn off those who attempt to copy any or all of the content that it is illegal to do so without specific permission.
You might say to yourself, "My newsletter only goes out to a few hundred people; they won't mind if I copy this one article or photo."
Not so! That's somewhat like, if not exactly analogous to, a counterfeiter saying, "I'm just going to print up a few hundred $20 bills so Uncle Sam won't mind."
Now the wrath of a copyright owner may not descend on you with the fury that the Treasury Department would bring down on a counterfeiter. Illegal copying could have embarrassing consequences if the copyright owner learns about the infraction and chooses to be hard-nosed about it. Even if there are no legal repercussions, improper reprinting of material casts an ethical shadow over any organization or individual that does it.

Dick Curry reported that there were a bunch of auction sites that were selling computer equipment at very low prices. He was asked to send me the info so I could pass it on to you. So, without further ado, here is Dick's report:
There are a number of sites on the internet that one can check for used computer equipment. E-bay, of course, comes to mind. But a check on any search engine (I like www.google.com) should produce a list of a number of sites. Four of the auction houses that I mentioned at the March 4th Windows SIG meeting are:
    www.dovebid.com
    www.cowanalexander.com
    www.bid4assets.com
    www.internetauctionlist.com
Check out their auction list or calendar to get a listing of upcoming auctions, merchandise being sold, and their auction locations. Many of these sites conduct on-line auctions and/or permit on-line bids to be received at their auction sites. Also they have links to sellers (usually pros) who have used merchandise advertised at fixed prices. $500 will get you a very sweet laptop. P.S. By Walt Parsons: You might also want to look at www.ubid.com.