Copyright Information

There is a common misconception today that gives many people the sense of invincibility when it comes to publishing on the internet. Well, I hate to break it to you, but copyright violation is a federal offense.

So, you wonder how I was able to use so many things and still be able to claim copyright to these pages? In order to increase the understanding of the nature of the copyright law on the internet, I will give reasons and explanations as to how and why I was able to do what I did.

• I designed the layout and the HTML code necessary to create this look.
• I created all of the title graphics and did not use copyrighted terms or phrases in the process.
• The only artwork that I got from another website was the "Fallen Angel" image, which I use with Shana Koontz's written permission.
• All of the paintings (with the exception of the aforementioned image by Shana Koontz) were made more than 75 years ago. This means, that according to Copyright law, these images are now in Public Domain. Which means I am not violating a copyright by using them on my pages.
• The information gained from White-Wolf (C) books is not quoted directly. Proper credit is given to this company on each page. Also, the information is used for teaching purposes *only*.
• Any and all help files were used with the permission of their respective authors.
• All personal information about the Staff members was supplied at the individuals' consent.

Now that you know how I did it, I have listed ways for *you* to avoid copyright violation and/or infringement.

• Ask First!! I cannot stress this one enough. Don't go swiping images, pictures, graphics, text, source code, etc. without receiving written permission from the author to use it. Unless the author clearly states that anyone is free to use these items.
• Give credit where credit is due!! After you receive permission, make certain to give this person adequate credit for their work(s).
• Do not combine a bunch of copyrighted materials and then label this combination copyrighted by you. For example, if you use a bunch of copyrighted images, design, text, etc. on your page, then do not place a copyright on that page *unless* you give adequate credit *and* the page must contain some original aspect. If all you did was put it all together, this is not original and should not be deemed as such, with or without credits. For clarification, if you took lyrics that Jerry Lee Lewis wrote and put those lyrics to music that Elvis wrote, you cannot claim this as an original song! Likewise, if you take someone's html code and combine it with images and text from other people, you cannot claim that as your own.
• Respect the original works of others! No one likes a person that just steals things off of pages and reuses them without gaining permission or even acknowledging the author of the work.
• Don't make assumptions! Just because an image is published on someone's homepage does not mean that this image is in the public domain. When in doubt, ask!
• Keep yourself informed on internet copyright laws so that you will know what you can and cannot do!

Overall, this is all you need to keep in mind in order to make a legal page. Just remember, that many people would be flattered to be asked if you could copy their work, so don't hesitate to ask!

---

Pages © 1998, 1999 designed, written (unless otherwise noted), and maintained by Maria Pardue (aka MuSiCaT).