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Message: In Reply to: RESPOND/PAWPRINT posted by BOURBON on May 19, 1998 at 00:40:12: We have received a few rather angry flames in regards to the current issue of copyrighted material taken from the PAWPRINT web site which is being utilized here on Sugarglider.com. From this message board, it is obvious there are others who at least feel our response to this copyright infringement is excessive. Although I have no desire to fan the flames, I hope that I can provide some insight into our concerns over the use of this material and, hopefully, resolve this matter. The material on our web site is based on many years of working with a variety of small and exotic mammals, much research, discussions with other breeders, zookeepers and vets. We have a lot of time invested into this research and even more time invested into writing and web design. We also feel a strong commitment to present information which is complete, useful and based on sound care practices. In fact, that is the primary reason we created our web site. However, posting information on the Internet does not mean it is public domain. Although you cannot copyright ideas or knowledge, the presention is automatically copyrighted. The laws regarding copyright apply to all web sites - even if a copyright notice is not present - unless there is specific, written authorization that the information can be used. This authorization is not on our web site. In addition, this authorization was not granted for use of the material on Sugarglider.com. We commend those people in the exotic pet community who are committed to sharing information about their special pets with the goal of providing the animals the care they need and deserve. However, there is nothing commendable about doing this by cutting and pasting the writing of others, especially when the sources go uncredited. Not only is this illegal under copyright law, it isn't very ethical. An additional consideration for us is that some of the content of our web site has been previously published or is slated for future publication. In these cases, even though PAWPRINT is the author, we may not own the copyright anymore and had to get permission to include it on our own web site. In these cases, not only is Sugarglider.com infringing on our copyright, this site may face other infringement concerns - from publishers who would most definetely pursue the matter aggressively. If we had been contacted prior to the passages being added to this web site, we most likely would have allowed the use, with appropriate credit, and would have been able to prevent use of material which we do not have legal ownership. However, permission was never requested. Law regarding the Internet is in its infancy. However, laws regarding copyright are well-established and quite simple. wiggle room." In every case of copyright infringement regarding the web, the courts have followed standard interpretation of these laws as they would be applied to any other medium. Personally, I would like to think that anyone would respect the ownership of material on the web, and the effort which goes into researching, writing and creating content for a web site. Just because it is easy to duplicate site content does not mean it should be considered acceptable to do so. And this brings me back to my initial email to the webmaster of Sugarglider.com regarding the use of passages from the PAWPRINT web site. Some people seem to feel our request was pompous or arrogant. It would not be pompous to report the theft of my car to the police, and it certainly is not to address the copyright infringement which is the base of this matter. The email was intended to be a simple, direct communication from me to the webmaster of this site, not the start a flame war, but to communicate an exact concern and the best possible resolution - without the possiblity of misunderstanding. The truth is, here at PAWPRINT, we have no desire to engage in legal action in this regard. We simply would like to resolve the matter, so that everyone can go forth with more important things, like carrying for our furry friends. I personally apologize to anyone who feels there was any intent beyond that. There wasn't. And, if it was our intent to "hoard" information, as has been suggested, we would have never created a web site. Personally, I don't understand why someone would choose to cut and paste content from other sites in the creation of a web page. However, it is done, and not just on this site. Here at PAWPRINT, we are committed to providing the web community to easy access to information on small and exotic mammals. However, these means we must protect our copyright ownership (and in some cases, that of publishers). Not doing so would certainly not be in our best interest, which I would hope is understandable to all who utilize this site and the Internet in general. David,
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