Netsurfer's Simple Guide to Copyright

Presented as a service to the Internet community by the
Task Force for Responsibility and Freedom on the Internet

If you didn't create a written work, piece of art, photograph or music, or obtain distribution rights to it, you don't own it.
If you don't own it, you can't copy it or distribute it to others whether you make money from it or not.
The author or owner of a document must explicitly relinquish its rights to place a work in the "public domain" and thereby make copying/distribution without specific authorization permissible.
"Fair use" allows you to copy small portions of a work you don't own without permission, but only for criticism, education, news reporting and the like. If it's unpublished, even those uses may not qualify as fair use. If it's trade secrets, fair use does not apply.
When in doubt, ask the creator or owner for permission to use their work.

10 Big Myths about copyright explained by Brad Templeton
The Net: User Guidelines and Netiquette by Arlene H. Rinaldi
Intellectual Property Law Primer for Multimedia Developers by J. Dianne Brinson and Mark F. Radcliffe
The Task Force for Responsibility and Freedom on the Internet home page is "http://digitalintegrity.org".

NOTE: Permission to copy this guide is hereby granted, and even encouraged, provided credit is given to the Task Force for Responsibility and Freedom on the Internet and the Church of Scientology

For further information send email to info@digitalintegrity.org

Last modified: 5 November 1995
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