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MUD, I'll respond to ChaseR's flag by talking to you. I don't know enough about the law to have more than a layman's "read" on this, but IMO when the day came that you could digitize & squirt over a telephone line text or pictures and send them anywhere in the world, that was the day copyright laws were, for practical purposes, dead as a doornail.

And I speak as one who has a vested interest in keeping "intellectual property rights"-- I and my wife have "written things for money" and naturally want to get paid every time these things are published or used.... but I really think those days are gone, they just haven't laid down & died yet, but they are dying right now.

As far as the plantiffs in this case go, you are right- they ought to be grateful for the publicity, not quibbling over non-profit use of their stuff!

"IMO when the day came that you could digitize & squirt over a telephone line text or pictures and send them anywhere in the world, that was the day copyright laws were, for practical purposes, dead as a doornail."

I'm no copyright lawyer, not by a longshot, but I reckon producers will find some way to get compensated for their efforts, or else there would be no incentive to continue to produce. Look at Limbaugh...20 Million folks get 15 hours a week of his opinions and none of us need pay a penny. Still, Rush gets paid over a Quarter $Billion over the next 8-10 years. Heck, I've taped his shows for years and have a cassette library of Rush-isms that clutter my home office horribly, and I've even transcribed his words and sent them around to friends, family, co-workers, and even posted them on FR...reckon El Rushbo will ever track me down and sue me fer royalties?

"And I speak as one who has a vested interest in keeping "intellectual property rights"-- I and my wife have "written things for money" and naturally want to get paid every time these things are published or used.... but I really think those days are gone, they just haven't laid down & died yet, but they are dying right now."

IMHO, you and your wife will be compensated for your ideas somehow and someway, if enough of the Sheeple find them useful and/or entertaining. With so much info out there and so little time to sort through it all, people will come to pay for someone else--someone they trust--to organize info together and get the word out to them. I used to get the Kiplinger's Newsletter and found it to be very useful, despite the fact that the information they mailed me each week was certainly available elsewhere for free. Once you and your wife build up "brand recognition" with enough folks, you'll find ways to be monetarily-rewarded for your efforts...even if those ways have nothing to do with Copyright Laws as they presently exist.

FReegards...MUD