Joe

Whoops, hit the send button a little too fast there. The quote above is from Fodor's Subscriber Agreement, which we agree to when we access this site. It looks ironclad to me, and I'd guess that it covers copyrighted material which the copyright holder submits voluntarily.

Rex

I think "ironclad" is a little strong - - but I think that it does protect THEM from any injunctive action if they try to assert rights to material here.

I don't read anything there about submitters relinquishing any rights to their own writing.

Joe

Rex, I think you're right. In the Subscriber's Agreement, Fodors claims full rights to publish anything submitted here. But the subscribers (us) don't give up their other rights in what they have written.

Rex

And one last angle on this - - I believe that this disclaimer establishes that if anyone tried to publish COMPILED material from here (i.e., including posts from others, other than their own), this would give Fodors a basis for damages or injunctive relief.

Joe

Okay, I'll nitpick a little more. I don't think it's the disclaimer that provides a basis for legal action. The Web site as a whole is copyrighted by Fodors, and anyone who publishes compilations from it would violate Fodors' copyright.

Rex

Okay, we've found our agreement ground. That little line at the very bottom of the page might be all they need, legally:

<!-- BEGIN COPYRIGHT NAVBAR IMAGE MARKER -->
<IMG SRC="/images/copyright_2001_navbar.gif" ALT="FODOR'S NAVIGATION" BORDER="0" USEMAP="#aboutnav"><BR><BR><BR>
<!-- END COPYRIGHT NAVBAR IMAGE MARKER -->

The disclaimer just spells out THEIR claim to the copy rights of anything placed here.

StCirq

Fran: I've published articles in the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Writer's Digest, International Living Magazine, FibreArts Magazine, Parent Magazine, Wine Tidings Magazine, and loads of others. It's not as though I crib from these articles when I post on Fodor's, but, for example, if someone asks about Bordeaux I may cut and paste a few sentences from a Bordeaux article I've published rather than retype, or rethink it, from a previously published article - all of which I have obviously filed on my computer. And I never fail to retain some rights to my work - no thinking writer does so. And no, I don't think of what I post generally as "my writing" and hence worthy of copyright, but for the sake of argument, when I do post a portion of something I've previously sold for, say, first North American Rights, I assume I can do so without Fodor's being able to touch it. And frankly, if Fodor's wants to get into it with my publisher over something like this, snore.......it's not as though I profit from any of this. But Fodor's, despite whatever it says, can't just take my writing and use it, especially if someone else has already paid for it. I don't think Fodor's even took that into account when it devised its "rules" about posting. At any rate, I retain the right to use anything I ever post here in anything I may publish in the future - not that I can imagine I would, frankly. I don't write for Fodor's the way I write for publication.It's a very different genre.

xxx

Geez, I looked at this thread expecting to see something about all the funny threads that have been posted here. Instead I get law school? Enjoin this.

sergio

Gee, I never thought that a "innocent" suggestion would end up on "copyright" discussions...

And BTW, I was reffering to hilarious/fun threads, not really suggestions on Bordeaux...

I would see no harm having some of these printed. I respect those concerned about their rights, though.

SuzyQ

StCirq, you might be on top of magazine copyright stuff, but I think you underestimate the internet: When you click on that box that says that you accept Fodors' Subscriber Agreement, you are indeed giving them rights to use what you post here.

top

when do we click on that agreement? is it part of the registration process that doesn't exist?

LOL

This entire thread is so funny considering the level of "writing" going on -LOL!!!

topper

Topping for Sergio.

PerryMason

Never mind the 'Hilarious Threads', what happened to all those boring copywrite/legal rights threads that used to cure my insomnia ???? Ooops !
they're all here in... th..issss thr.....ZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ ZZZZZZZZZZ

Molly

To bring this back to the original post, I think some of the past threads would be informative and very funny. I would sit on a beach and read a paperback pamphlet of the Fodor's witticisms and even some of the cranky ones, as well as the ones with actual travel information.

t

topping for sergio