Copyright

Is it permissable to attach a pdf file of a Quail Map Company's 1990 map to a topic in the Forum?

Barry

" said:

Is it permissable to attach a pdf file of a Quail Map Company's 1990 map to a topic in the Forum?

Not really, though in copyright law there is provision for limited fair use with attribution I believe

Trackmaps explicitly say no, you can't even scan them for your personal use.

Trackmaps explicitly say no, you can't even scan them for your personal use.

Using the work of others

You may use the work of others if:

Copyright has expired.
Your use of the work is fair dealing as defined under the 1988 Copyright Designs and Patents Act (UK).
Your use of the work is covered under a licensing scheme that you have subscribed to and the copyright holder is a member of.
The copyright holder has given you permission.

What is fair dealing?

Fair dealing is a term used to describe some limited activities that are allowed without infringing copyright. Briefly these are as follows:

Research and private study

Copying parts of a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work or of a typographical arrangement of a published edition for the purpose of research or private study is allowed under the following conditions:
The copy is made for the purposes of research or private study.
The copy is made for non-commercial purposes.
The source of the material is acknowledged.
The person making the copy does not make copies of the material available for a number of people.

How much of a work can I use under fair dealing?

There is no simple formula or percentage that can be applied. You may have seen figures like ‘up to 10%’ or ‘no more than 400 words’ quoted in some publications, but such figures are at best a rough guide and can be misleading. What is acceptable will vary from one work to another.

In cases that have come to trial what is clear is that it is the perceived importance of the copied content rather than simply the quantity that counts. Judges hearing such cases often have to make an objective decision on whether the use is justified or excessive.

There are possibilities in the various copyright acts for copying for academic research under what's known as the 'fair dealing' provisions.

" said:

There are possibilities in the various copyright acts for copying for academic research under what's known as the 'fair dealing' provisions.

Where have you found the term "academic research"? I find it very had to believe that "academic" research is specially enshrined under law, but "normal" research isn't.

In fact, I can't actually see a good way to distinguish between the two in a legal context! Does "academic" mean it has to be done in a university? That would unfairly discriminate against anyone in research institutes, industrial research. Does it have to be done as part of your job? There's a lot of research out there done by people in their free time (Einstein would be a classic example for some of his work!), but is this somehow "inferior"?

(This is all an aside - you might even say it's a bit academic! - as the term doesn't appear in either of the guides linked to above this post)

" said:

There are possibilities in the various copyright acts for copying for academic research under what's known as the 'fair dealing' provisions.

Where have you found the term "academic research"? I find it very had to believe that "academic" research is specially enshrined under law, but "normal" research isn't.

I don't know if there is a right to make backups but, if there is, I think it would probably apply only to computer programs. Again, that doesn't apply here. I suspect there may not even be a right to make a backup; why would program developers include a specific provision allowing copying for backup purposes in their licence agreement otherwise? (You do read your licence agreement thoroughly before you install every piece of software don't you?...)