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Copyright—particularly electronic copyright—is a complex
and evolving field that is very difficult to summarize. That said, here
are some guidelines to keep in mind when uploading resources or posting
excerpts in this virtual community and elsewhere on the Internet.
Uploading Resources
- If it isn’t yours, don’t upload it without
express, written permission. And even then, we encourage you
to provide contact information or a link to the webpage where
the resource can be downloaded instead (this ensures that people
will have the most recent version available).
- Even if it’s yours, check before posting! Organizations
and funders can have rules restricting the dissemination of materials
they pay for—even when you’ve written them.
- When providing weblinks for resources, be sure to link
to the page about the resource and not the file itself.
People with slow connections will want to know more about the
resource before committing to downloading big files.
- Be sure to include relevant bibliographic information in
your post: author, complete title, date of publication, and publisher
or sponsoring organization. That way, if the link expires or
changes, it’s easier to find the resource with a little
judicious Googling!
Posting Excerpts
- Never cut and paste the text of an article from
a website or email to this community. Provide a link instead
(see above).
- Never cut and paste the text of personal communication without
express permission from the author.
- It’s usually okay to provide short excerpts to give
the flavour of what you’re linking to, but err
on the side of caution and read and follow any copyright notices
on the original material.
- Don’t post information from licensed databases
or archives (such as journal archives). This information
is usually restricted to the organization that paid the licensing
fee, and you may not be able to share information outside your
organization.
What you write in this community
- THCU will not reprint your words or your materials without
your permission.
- For more information, please read our privacy
policy.
As a final note, if you’re not sure what to do the best thing
to do is ask the creators of the original document. Many organizations
are happy to share their information—in whole or in part—for
non-commercial use.
If you’re interested in learning more about this issue, here are
some sites to visit:
An upcoming Ontario Health Promotion Email
Bulletin feature article will look at copyright issues in further
detail. We’ll post a link to this article when it becomes available
in February 2004.
Questions? Email jelgie@thcu.ca
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