From: thetroll@rata.vuw.ac.nz (The Troll)
Subject: Re: Copyright Laws in New Zealand
Organization: Computing Serv. Ctr, Victoria Uni., Wellington, New Zealand
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 19:44:55 GMT

In article <> Steve_Baldwin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Steve Baldwin) writes:
>I'm not quite sure I understand where you are coming from. 
Wellington, I'd give the lattitude and longitude but I can't remember
where the info is kept. 

>First you comment that a programmer or a bank manager has little credibility 
>in the area of copyright and then go on to say that you have written 
>for a science fiction publication and explain your interpretation of 
>the copyright laws.

Yes, that's right. As it looked like no lawyers or law students were going
to pitch in, and Mr Clarke had given a reply which I thought didn't cover
the ground sufficiently and I had at least read the 1962 Copyright Act, I
thought I'd contribute to the discussion. I wasn't going to in the first
instance because the original poster wanted to hear from specifically
Lawyers or law students. 

BTW I don't just write for Science Fiction Magazines (Warp, etc) I publish
one. There is a subtle difference. 

>I would expect that anybody that is involved in producing original works 
>(ie programmers) would have a vested interest in knowing something about 
>copyright.

Not really, I work for a University, they automatically own anything I
produce with a very limited number of exceptions. 

>We see mention of it on every bit of software that we buy, download 
>or pirate as the case may be.

Yes, and it is the US copyright that is mostly mentioned, which *was*
different. 

>Of course you qualify your posting with a disclaimer of sorts that leaves 
>anybody wondering whether it was text for text's sake or had knowledgable 
>content.

Nope, that was merely to safeguard me against people taking my advice and
getting upset if it was wrong. What I said is true to the best of my
knowledge, but I'm not a player in that massive word game we call the "Law"
and I'm quite aware that the "Law" is applied and settled in courts by
lawyers and played by rules that most people seem to find a little
strange. 

Look, the best judge in this world on whether someone is shooting the
breeze is whether they would risk money on their opinion. I think I
understand what the 1962 Copyright act says, but in my case it's not that
important, if someone violates my copyright I'll be upset, but I'm not
going to suffer a large financial loss. If I was, I'd get the best advice
money could buy, I wouldn't rely on USENET to give me the right advice,
because USENET is just a collection of mostly wrong opinions. 

So far in this disucssion we have had four postings, one saying that you
only need to put copyright on the document, one saying that a long USENET
flame war resolved that you didn't have to do anything, one saying that
they thought you only had to stick copyright on the document, and mine. No
one else has said that they actually went and looked at the document that
defines what copyright in this country is. The original poster didn't even
say "I looked at the copyright act and didn't understand it, please help".

Information is power, but you have to make an effort to get information.
Just asking USENET works most of the time, but it's a lazy option. Next
we'll have people saying: "I'm tired, listless, have trouble sleeping,
can't get up in the morning" can any Doctors or Medical students give me
advice on what is wrong with me? And a large number of people will post
saying I'm not a doctor but what you probably have is... 

Isn't the net wonderful that way. Let's stick to technical info about
computers and outright opinion and leave the things that lives, health and
money are riding on to the experts, who stuff it up a lot of the time, but
at least they have malpractice insurance, fidelity funds and other
controls over the quality of the advice they give. 

I certainly wouldn't drive over a bridge designed by a USENET discussion.
Would you? 

--
Alex Heatley                                Computing Services Centre
Domain: Alex.Heatley@vuw.ac.nz              Victoria University of Wellington