2005-05-11 [Reene]: May I suggest adding a few links to various licenses that people may find useful? I notice the GPL is already listed, but having specific links to things like the Free Art License (artlibre.org) and the GFDL might be useful.

2005-05-11 [Rondel]: I'd be delighted to include the proposed links. Please post them here, and I'll add them as promptly as possible. Edit: I've looked up the GFDL and included it, as well as the English version of the Free Art License (with links to other languages). Please feel encouraged to provide other suggested links for inclusion in the wiki. :)

2005-06-10 [Rondel]: Thanks to [hanhepi] and [ArchangelGabriel] for the new additions to the Links! :) Keep 'em coming, folks!

2005-10-06 [Rondel]: My thanks to [Skydancer] for the latest additions to this page; I strongly recommend both of them, but for different reasons. The PlusPSP site page is an excellent overview of copyright, especially as it applies to many digital art tools, which are (to the frustration of digital artists everywhere) used, all too often, to steal the works of other artists & claim them as one's own, through slight alteration. The other, the Rights For Artists site page, is a glossary of relevant terms, an excellent resource for anyone confused by the terms they encounter in attempting to learn more about these issues. Read them! Learn! I hope they are of use to many.

2005-10-08 [Solid_Metal]: What is Elftown Published under and what is the date of that Publication?

2005-10-08 [Rondel]: I'm sorry, can you clarify that question? Elftown is published on the web, as are other websites; the laws which apply to it would be a combination of the laws of the country in which it is hosted, and the laws of the countries in which it is viewed. The date of publication, as with other continuously updated websites, is continuously renewed; it came into being some years ago (I don't remember exactly when, just at the moment -- post-2000), but it is published in revised form many times each day - revised each time it is updated in any of its elements. Does that answer your question?

2005-10-08 [Solid_Metal]: The question for the date was answered. The name of Publication is of no use to me any more. Thank You.

2005-10-08 [Rondel]: If you're trying to cite Elftown in a bibliography or footnote or some other such context, there's actualy a standard now for citing internet publications. It doesn't follow the same format as for physical publications, though; you can find it by doing a google search for "how to cite a website in a bibliography", or some similar set of keywords. I recommend using one of the college style guides, if you don't know which of the resulting links to go by. I'm not sure if this is what you were trying to do, mind you, I just offer the information to anyone who might find it relevant.

2005-10-09 [Solid_Metal]: I was trying to cite this website in APA format, but the information that I require is no longer needed. Thank you for trying.

2005-10-10 [Rondel]: You're welcome. For future reference, though, I would advise looking up that format for citing websites; it is a useful thing to know when uing the web as an informational resource.

2006-10-26 [Aruruen]: I've wondered for years on this question looked it up several times, and just never knew or met anyone that could be asked. I do know that for obtaining patents, theres a process & approval deal to go through before recieving one... but, how about copyrights? Do you just slap your © on works original to yourself and its done or is there something more official to it than that?

2006-10-28 [Rondel]: Technically, all of your own original creations are (c) copyright to you, dating from the day you create them, automatically -- but there are methods for legally insuring this claim, by registering it (for instance, this allows you to prove that you are the creator and holder of the copyright should you later need to press charges against someone for infringing it, or vice versa, should someone try to claim it as their own and prosecute *you*). In essence, this isn't technically necessary for you to *hold* the copyright, but it might be necessary in order for you to be able to *prove* that you hold the copyright. That is different from the way it works with patents, which have to be granted after meeting several criteria, including originality, patentability of the concept in question (some things can be patented, while others can't; e.g. a machine or process can, but an idea cannot), and the requirement that the item/concept be *functional* (you can't patent a machine that doesn't actually work).

Some people will suggest posting a manuscript/artwork/lyrics/etc. to yourself and keeping it in the sealed envelope, with the postmark intact, in order to help secure your copyright by providing dated proof of your creation -- but according to a number of fairly reliable sources, all that is is a good way to waste a stamp. You can read up further on this issue at several sites listed on the following Google search page: http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=how+to+register+copyright+%22waste+a+stamp%22&btnG=Search&meta=lr%3D

Useful results include:
http://www.ifla.org/documents/infopol/copyright/breslow.txt
http://www.totse.com/en/law/justice_for_all/copyrit3.html
http://coqui.lce.org:3389/erporto/copyri.htm
http://www.textfiles.com/law/copyrite.txt

Good question -- thanks for asking!

2006-10-29 [Aruruen]: I appreciate the answer. Thanks =)

2006-11-29 [xido]: Is there a link anywhere on here about APA Formatting besides this one, because if not, I am writing one to help with things around the Guild which host a veritable gamut of legal issues surrounding their use and referencing...
Thanks!
-will