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PunBB Forums → PunBB 1.2 discussion → Content Copyright
I'm curious about what other punbb users do about copyrights regarding the content of users posts (not Rickard's copyright). I doubt it would ever become an issue, but I'd like to have an established policy just in case. Does anyone bother with that? Specifically, I'm interested in implementing something like Creative Commons - but I'm unsure of how that would apply to user contributions.
Any thoughts or ideas?
What is Creative Commons?
What is Creative Commons?
if i think i know what el_loap is referring too: http://creativecommons.org/ it looks like the artistic verion of the "GNU General Public License (GPL)" in a sorts.
Seems like once a psot is made on a public forum, it would become public domain...?
It could get really complicated. What if you quoted something appearing on another forum which contained some code from a gpl licensed app. Not only is there a problem claiming copyright of what was contributed by someone else but they may not have the copyright for their own posts.
So is it best just to leave it alone? I don't want to claim ownership of the content, I just don't want a user crying foul if his post is used for something else (not that I can imagine a situation where it would be). I want it clear that submissions become part of the public domain.
Part of my rules say this
"All posts are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the site administrator."
And another part says this
" If you don't want everyone knowing something, don't post it!"
Whenever I post on a publicly accessible forum, I assume that everyone knows it's my opinion that I'm stating and that if I post something that is useful, anyone that wants it can use it freely.
I feel that when we have a board up and let people post, we don't really own what the users post but we do own the space where it's posted. That being said, I would feel obligated to remove something if I know it's violating someones copyright. But if Paul posts some code he claims is his when really it belongs to el_luap, I don't have any way of knowing who owns it. So if el_luap decides to sue somebody, he should sue Paul.
if you post something(text) on a public board you have no control over what the public does with that text unless it's song lyrics that have a copyright already, even then there is a big gray area. if it's images you are worried about then just have your users watermark everything they post. that way if someone tries to use it they will have a tough time trying to claim ownership.
I just don't think a board owner could be held liable for content posted by users unless you openly allow and encourage illegal activity.
if your worried just write a disclaimer in the rules
That's what I'm planning on doing, I was just checking to see if anyone else had addressed this problem. I don't know much about copyright, but here's something I found by Brad Templeton (Chairman of the Board for the EFF).
"If it's posted to Usenet it's in the public domain."
False. Nothing modern is in the public domain anymore unless the owner explicitly puts it in the public domain(*). Explicitly, as in you have a note from the author/owner saying, "I grant this to the public domain." Those exact words or words very much like them.
Although he's talking about Usenet, the priciple seems generally applicable.
The quote is from 10 Big Myths about copyright explained
I'm curious about what other punbb users do about copyrights regarding the content of users posts (not Rickard's copyright). I doubt it would ever become an issue, but I'd like to have an established policy just in case. Does anyone bother with that? Specifically, I'm interested in implementing something like Creative Commons - but I'm unsure of how that would apply to user contributions.
Any thoughts or ideas?
If an author wants that, they can put it in the post themselves - or better, put it in their signature.
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