May I suggest that two crucial elements have been left out of this
message, one, that all maps are copyright *as works of art* in the
United States (thus following different rules than text copyright),
and that, two, there have been recent rumblings about some US
government agencies NOT waiving their right to copyright. Thus the
position is not "very clear."
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April Carlucci 0171 412 7062
British Library Map Library [log in to unmask]
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______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: USA Copyright
Author: "A Paul R Cooper" <[log in to unmask]> at Internet
Date: 04/10/1999 08:28
The position is very clear, as follows:
1) All maps are copyright and subject to the usual rules. Copyright exists
independently, and is a right, not something which must be claimed.
2) The USGS and other US government agencies WAIVE their rights as
copyright holders.
3) Private mapping agencies (such as Delorme) do NOT waive their rights,
and their maps must be treated in the same way as any other copyright
material.
4) The only case in which 3 is not true would be in the case of an EXACT
copy of a US government map. However, any work done on the map by the
private agency - even simply changing the legend - would create a new
copyright.
In other words, you are right and your member is wrong. The Data
Federation (they have a website, but I don't know it) have further
information on this topic.
Paul Cooper
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