CIG Notes

November 9, 1995

Notes from the November 9, 1995 meeting of the Rochester Genealogical Society / Computer Interest Group:

News Tidbits | Main Program | Final Notes

The meeting was the first at our new location at Brighton High School, Room 262. The facility is really well adapted to our needs, with even a phone line to go on-line sometime. There were 36 members in attendance, with visitors.

Stan Hazen announced that this was the last meeting that he would be presiding over. Mark Bewicke has agreed to be the group leader for at least until June 96. Stan noted that he had made arrangements for using the meeting room, being familiar with it from the FROG computer group meetings. He also recommended a free membership for the winner of a Newsletter naming contest.

News From Around Town:

Dick Halsey noted that memberships are due for both RGS and CIG. He is not active on Bulletin Boards, only the Internet. J. Hall noted that the FROG/BBS is back-up for members, probably ready for visitors. He noted the December 1, 1995 departure of Flower City Central, and its huge list of genealogy files (subsequent to this meeting, Debbie Barnes and Ken Veneron attacked the problem with usual vigor, and we will have copies of the files for our disk library. Thanks, good people).

Ken Veneron reported that an updated Social Security CD-ROM for up to December 1994 and the Library Catalog to August 1995 are now available at the Family History Center. A 386 PC is being added to the Westfall Road Center, and a monitor is needed.

A correction to last meeting's notes: The Kraeg Road Library will probably not close until the Spring of 1996, and the films will not be transferred to Westfall Road. Some equipment may be moved.

Fred Kolb noted that the December 13th meeting of KGS will feature comments by members on the highlight of their previous year's research. Ruth Metzler will discuss the advantages of joining a genealogical society in the area where your family resided.

Ed Gaulin reported that the next RGS meeting, November 16th, will be back at Asbury First United Methodist Church, and will have a special treat with Greg Kinal speaking on "20 ways to spice up your family tree". Jim Swarts will give the workshop on the various calendars encountered in genealogical research.

Connie Reda has several packets left for the FGS/NARA project of digitizing Civil War records. It will assist researchers in finding records, to be located at the Civil War battlegrounds.

Mark Bewicke limped to the podium ( a work accident) and requested responses to the questionnaire about future CIG programs:

  1. Only a few members have hardware problems and almost all try to document their sources.

  2. One-half of the group is having software problems or wish the program performed additional tasks.

  3. Almost all of the group is familiar with the Mormon Church's Family Search resources and Soundex name searches.

  4. About one-third of the group has not used the CIG disk library, or ahnentafel numbering for charts.

  5. Three-quarters of the group has not used tiny-tafel files to find overlap between data bases or understands Henry numbering.

  6. About one-half are unclear on the relationship between historic calendar systems. (Jim Swarts' talk at RGS will help here!)

  7. Most of the group is using a modem to call up local bulletin boards, sending e-mail or "surfing the Internet."

  8. A few are looking into multimedia (sound and pictures) for genealogical presentations.

Ed Gaulin sought the usage of various operating systems, and three-fourths are using Windows 3.1, one in six are MAC users, a few use Windows 95 and one uses OS/2.

Mark asked for general topics of interest and Jim Roome suggested a program on the details of CD-ROM/Kodak disks for photos. He is collecting photos to use in charts, etc. by making videos of the elderly and getting photos scanned.

Marion Claus asked for a mentor program, with all members indicating a need for some help. Stan Hazen suggested that mini seminars be added to the end of the regular meeting (since we don't have to leave before 9:45 or so).

A discussion of soundex needs resulted in an offer of a program from NEHGS, to be in the disk library.

MAIN PROGRAM - Copyrights

Stan Hazen introduced Paul Doering, a fellow Kodak retiree and frequent contributor to ""Sound Bytes" as "Paul, from Brighton." Paul spoke on "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Law" (of copyrights). He speaks often on the ethics of computer usage.

Paul presented a slide show/interchanges with the audience. He gave a brief genealogy/history of his family. His talk related to intellectual property issues such as the responsibilities of reproducing documents and letters found in searches vs. lack of care. Not being a lawyer, he cannot give legal advice, but he keeps current on copyright issues, and suggests that anyone encountering a question of copyright should consult a special lawyer. (Lawyers on the Internet). The courts are diverse in interpretation from one federal district to another.

How is behavior regulated in a society? Ethics are not universal. Human behavior acquires ethics from conflicting sources = ethics are insufficient to control society. Two other areas are technology (which changes) and law. But law never keeps up with reality. For example, we do not have laws to control the Internet. Much of the problem is generated outside the U.S., so the law is difficult to enforce.

Societal laws are used to control behavior and are more stable than physical "laws" which often are found to be in error as new information is found.

Invention protection laws are profound, but people ignore laws that are opposite their ethics.

The three types of Intellectual Property Laws are: Patent, Trademark and Copyright. Patents are on machines, ideas reduced to practice. Trademarks are tricky, and there is a false ethic that "Possibility implies permission."

Copyright conceptually is simple; if you create authorship, artistry or performance are copyright is automatic; and original expression of an idea. - Fixed in a tangible medium - © "the circled C" is not needed since 1978 - New U.S. law in 1976, following the Berne Convention. ex. a family tree is about the only way to present a structure, virtually no other way to present the data.

- An original expression, with a material difference from prior works.

- There is a limited time, currently 50 years after the death of the author, 75 years after the first publication or 100 years after creation of the document. After 100 years you can use it at will, as it is in the public domain, but it cannot be re-copyrighted. A change in format, with a "Spark of Creativity," or massive drudgery can lead to a copyright.

The copyright law does not change often, but when it does, much turmoil exists. The current law of 50 years term is being considered to change to 70 years, in Congress, due to a change in Europe. The BERN Convention in 1976 set the 50 year term, but Denmark is getting agreement among Europeans to change to 70 years. This will create havoc for organizations that have copyright agreements or copyrights are extended requiring new agreements.

Copyrights are in the U.S. Constitution to protect works and discoveries, to motivate inventors to benefit society.

An original can be copied, with authorization. Penalties for infringement are steep, maximum of $250,000 for an individual or $500,000 for an organization, 5 years prison for first offense.

A Fair Use Document can allow use under an agreement. Each Federal Judicial District can give a decision on copyrights, but only binding in that District. Always get a review from a special copyright lawyer.

The Bern Convention documented moral rights of the copyright.

Paul presented a flow chart indicating directions to follow in deciding if a copyright is O.K. to use:

A recommended reference is: The Copyright Book, A Practical Guide William S. Strong, MIT Press, 1983, 4th edition (Semi-annual updates - $30)

The presentation then moved to the Internet, where it is going, whether current law protects what you can put on the Net. He cautioned that persons using commercial servers (CompuServe, AOL, Prodigy) should reexamine the contract agreed to when opening the account. These are many differences, some giving total rights, forever, to the servers.

The circulation of information on the Net is possibly violating copyrights. It is difficult for copyright owners to prosecute offenders.

The conflict of ethics vs. technology is unresolved. Some sales catalogs even promote scanners "to make flawless forgeries."

The path of the Net is unpredictable. There is no claim for infringement of sending along; only if a copy is made. A digital image is not the same as an original, "rendering a work in a medium other than that in which it was created." This needs legal clarification.

The conclusion: Watch your step on the Internet. People in power will restrain you if you are not careful.

Several questions were posed, such as who owns a letter, the writer or the receiver = the writer!, except if you use the letter to protect yourself from libel.

This fine presentation was captured on tape for the use of the newsletter editor in preparing these notes. The presenter owns the original material.

Thanks, Paul, and we will be listening for you on WXXI Sound Bytes, 1 PM Saturdays.

Next month's program is included in the announcement of the meeting, and is highlighted by a visit from Nick Francesco, a software specialist at RIT, a major contributor to Sound Bytes, and a talkback participant on WGRC/Channel 9, the second Tuesday, 7-8 PM.

The editor has joined the FROG POND for the CIG, and will be giving timely reports on excerpts from their newsletter, the Lily Pad. Also, meeting notices will be posted there, since Flower City Central is off-line.

Again, thanks to all who have assisted in publishing these notes:

Tim Carroll, for preparing the mailing labels.

Gloria Church, for keyboarding from my scribbled notes.

Dick Halsey for keeping the CIG membership list up-to-date.

All those who present items for distribution to the members and submit programs for the disk library.

All the members who attend the meetings and get involved in the CIG through the year.

Special thanks to Mark Bewicke and the Program Team for keeping the meetings interesting through the year.

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SEASONS GREETINGS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL WHO WILL NOT BE WITH US ON DECEMBER 14th.

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