IIGS™ Newsletter - April 1999
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IIGS™ Newsletter - April 1999
An issue which surfaces periodically on genealogy mail lists and newsgroups is copyright. Genealogists deal in the extraction of data from works of all kinds---published compilations and histories, computer-generated databases, microfilmed copies of historic documents and historic documents themselves.
Genealogists then turn their research (extracted data) into highly personalized family histories which may take several forms: published histories in prose, published histories as data only, webpages, GEDCOMS to be traded with other genealogists researching the same family lines, or any combination of all of these.
It is disturbing to me that so many genealogists appear to have little or no knowledge of copyright issues, although they seem to love debating them. I have seen copyright infringement confused with plagiarism and even libel, although they are very different.
I have seen, on mail lists, staunch defenders of an author's right to protection from copyright infringement or plagiarism. Alarmingly, I have also seen the opposite from people who have little respect for the ethical issues involved.
Copyright issues in the digital information age are far from being resolved. In the United States, legislation to update copyright law to deal with database protection issues (what kind of copyright protection they should have) is before Congress now. Debate on the subject was held March 18 in Washington, D.C. I scanned the list of interested parties who testified before Congress. Not one of them represented genealogical interests which, I believe, is one of the fastest growing segments of the population to use on-line databases.
It is almost amusing that in the U.S. genealogists bombarded the Federal Communications Commission when they thought they were going to have to begin paying more money for their Internet service.
The Information Anti-Piracy Act, H.R. 354, currently before Congress has far more implications for genealogists than any fee they might have to pay for the privilege of doing some of their research on-line.
Genealogy is big business, folks. And it's become big business because of the Internet. As genealogists, we all have a stake in how laws governing the Internet are written. Laws which favor huge companies which compile databases for sale may or may not be a threat to genealogy. At the very least, we need to be informed and to be heard. You can check out the proposed legislation as well as key testimony at http://www.arl.org/info/letters/index.html
While you are getting involved in the politics of on-line information, consider also becoming involved in a related issue. I believe it's time for the genealogical community to fully recognize the impact the Internet has had on genealogy.
I think it would be in our best interest for on-line genealogical organizations to jointly develop ethical guidelines similar to the Netiquette Guidelines developed by Arlene H. Rinaldi at Florida State University. We need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for informing and educating our fellow genealogists that copyright and plagiarism are serious matters which can not and should not be taken lightly.
One of on-line genealogy's benefits is the opportunity to share information and resources. Ignorance can kill that benefit.