Hi,
A recent thread revolved around many issues, including
legality and illegality of some things, copyrights, etc.
I noticed some statements that were somewhat incorrect or
inaccurate. So I thought I might point anyone interested to
some resource material.
International copyright protection is governed by the
Berne Convention. If you are interested in what it says, go
to http://www.law.cornell.edu/treaties/berne/overview.html.
For those not interested in becoming lawyers, the site
http://www.benedict.com/ provides some interesting
information. It is especially focussed around copyright law
and the internet but offers some good basic information. It
also offers some practical comments about copyright infringement
and its consequences within the USA.
Almost all nations are signatories to the Berne Convention.
A notable exception is Taiwan. That's why Yann can make
certain statements that apply to all countries that have
signed the convention.
Please note that certain countries have further refinements
of copyright law. An example would be US law around "fair use".
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