ethics question

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Guest

This may be the wrong forum, and I apologize if it is. From my time spent on
this NG I realized the wealth of knowledge that is here and somewhat
untapped. And...hoping someone here could help me or point me in the right
direction.

We are getting ready to launch our new site and while researching some of
the content that needs to be included, I noticed that many of the same
industry-related sites have the same articles, story's, etc... with no
mention as to the original author and such.

Now for the question, is it considered unethical to "borrow" this
information off these sites without knowing whom to give credit? I am not
worried about my site since we are creating it new from the ground up. I just
did not know what the standards are with online info?

Thanks in advance.

Jules
 
All content is the copyright of some one, the best approach is to contact the site to see if you can
find the source and/or speak with your attorney.

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WebMaster Resources(tm)

FrontPage Resources, WebCircle, MS KB Quick Links, etc.
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If you feel your current issue is a results of installing
a Service Pack or security update, please contact
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If the problem can be shown to have been caused by a
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Rather than "borrow" the info, why don't you hyperlink to "the source" on the
most trusted web site (in a new window, of course, so your site is still open
for your visitor)?
 
Jules said:
This may be the wrong forum, and I apologize if it is. From my time spent
on
this NG I realized the wealth of knowledge that is here and somewhat
untapped. And...hoping someone here could help me or point me in the right
direction.

We are getting ready to launch our new site and while researching some of
the content that needs to be included, I noticed that many of the same
industry-related sites have the same articles, story's, etc... with no
mention as to the original author and such.

Now for the question, is it considered unethical to "borrow" this
information off these sites without knowing whom to give credit? I am not
worried about my site since we are creating it new from the ground up. I
just
did not know what the standards are with online info?

Thanks in advance.

Jules
Click to expand...

Same for any other media, artform or whatever, Copyright applies to the web
as much as a book, piece of music, whatever.

So yes, give credit where credit is due, and get the copyright permissions
where necessary.

and yes, it might seem unethical to quote something on a page and not
acknowledge the original source or author, as long as the site's author
doesn't claim the material as THEIR OWN work if it is not.

If you have any doubts, and you plan to use existing material I would
contact the original author/source for permission to use it and make sure
you credit it appropriately.

If you're that concerned, you could simply link to the site containing the
original material you want to use, rather than copying and using it on your
site.

OR you could acknowledge the site you did "borrow" it from and also note
"Original Source unknown".....
 
Jules said:
Now for the question, is it considered unethical to "borrow" this
information off these sites without knowing whom to give credit?
Click to expand...

Would you like someone doing that to your material?

B/
 
Jules said:
This may be the wrong forum, and I apologize if it is. From my time spent
on
this NG I realized the wealth of knowledge that is here and somewhat
untapped. And...hoping someone here could help me or point me in the right
direction.

We are getting ready to launch our new site and while researching some of
the content that needs to be included, I noticed that many of the same
industry-related sites have the same articles, story's, etc... with no
mention as to the original author and such.

Now for the question, is it considered unethical to "borrow" this
information off these sites without knowing whom to give credit? I am not
worried about my site since we are creating it new from the ground up. I
just
did not know what the standards are with online info?

Thanks in advance.

Jules
Click to expand...

Jules,

Assuming you are in the United States, and therefore bound by federal
copyright law, what you contemplate doing is not merely unethical, it may
well be illegal. The fact that you posed this query would be evidence that
you used material without permission willfully, which could add to your
legal problems.

Sites that post material that you have seen elsewhere may have purchased the
right to reproduce it and to post it without attribution. Or they may be
using material that is in the public domain (e.g. much government material.)
Of course, they may also have stolen it, but that does not mean you should
follow their example.

Including a source attribution will make your site seem more credible, so
it's well worth your time to get permission. (It may also earn you some
links that could help your rankings in the search engines.) Conversely,
being perceived as a content thief will undermine all the work you are doing
in establishing your site.

Here are two sources of copyright basics:
http://inventors.about.com/od/copyrights101basicsfaq/
and
http://wdvl.internet.com/Internet/Law/Copyright/

Alex
 
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