Would the concept of "copyleft" developed by the "free" software / Open
Source software movement be of use in this context?
Details of this concept can be found at the GNU Project site
<http://www.gnu.org/>.
In summary:
"Free" software is not about price but about freedom. Users of "free"
software have the following freedoms:
- to run the programme, for any purpose
- to modify the programme to suit their needs (access to the source code is
necessary); if these changes are used privately at work or at home then
no-one needs to be informed
- to redistribute copies, either gratis or for a fee
- to distribute modified versions of the programme, so that the community
can benefit from their improvements (access to the source code is necessary)
The GNU Project created the concept of "copyleft" to protect these freedoms,
i.e. individuals and companies cannot add restrictions of their own to
copylefted programmes. Therefore modified versions must remain "free"
software and anything added to, or combined with, a copylefted programme
must be done in such a way that the larger, combined version is also "free"
and copylefted. The specific implementation of copyleft used for most GNU
software is the GNU General Public License (GPL).
You could see how this could be amended to meet the needs of the proposed
image database.
Susan Childs
Researcher
Information Management Research Institute
School of Information Studies
Lipman Building
University of Northumbria
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8ST
Tel: 0191 227 3723
Fax: 0191 227 3671
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
IMRI Office Tel: 0191 227 3222
IMRI Website: http://is.northumbria.ac.uk/imri/
-----Original Message-----
From: Valentine, Margaret [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 30 January 2001 09:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Image database
This is a (yet another) request for help or advice.
Some Rheumatology consultants in the Musculoskeletal Department are
interested in finding out about/ creating a national database of copyright
free images relevant to the teaching of rheumatology to medical students.
Some of the images would be photographs, but they could also include
anatomical drawings. This would be accessible over the Internet for any
academics/clinicians. They are concerned that they should be copyright
free. They intend to approach a Charity for funding to assist in this
development, and they thought that this organisation could hold the
copyright. They thought a librarian would be a suitable person to employ on
the Project to search out the images, and to catalogue them etc.
Can I ask if anyone knows of the existence of such a database already. Do
you have any thoughts on the feasibility of the Project? What about
Copyright issues? They will also want to develop a common consent process
for the patients. They will need to estimate how many hours of time should
be required etc.
If you have any thoughts, I should be most grateful.
Margaret Valentine
Trust Librarian
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
Teaching Centre Library
Freeman Hospital
High Heaton
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE7 7DN
Tel: (0191) 223 1325
Fax: (0191) 284 3783
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