trying to create a consolidated numismatic reference point online . filled with a large online collection of PDFs and information. what are the laws about sharing personal collection of books for knowledge sake/ education also if you have any major books on pdf to donate let me know via pm..
Usually it says on the first page of the book how you may use it. Not trying to be a smart-alek but most authors would probably and rightfully be upset if you're sharing PDF versions of their work. I'm not sure what you do for a living but I think you would be displeased if someone condensed it into a digital medium and shared it freely.
..and.. I reckon most of the private online resources would want a link to their site rather than copying a-fresh. Most of those guys are also dealers and use their reference material as an attraction to the business-side of their site..
Well they have already been made into PDFs by the makers of the books From the hobby center and think tank of MTS.LLC
disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. You should investigate copyright law. You will be able to more freely use information if it is for "educational purposes". If you plan to monetize your site it will limit what you can use. Just because the information is in PDF format does not mean it is public domain.
The Newman Numismatic Portal already has a lot of this legwork done - not trying to stifle your dream, but no sense in reinventing the wheel as it were...
I believe, as long as you do not print/publish & sell or otherwise infringe on any copy written material, there's nothing wrong with sharing.
"Sharing" will be something up to the author (or more accurately the copyright holder) of the material. As a general rule, yes there is going to be everything wrong with sharing a copywritten document. Most books will have a phrase like "(c) John Smith, all rights reserved" up front, or those more legally minded may say something like "No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise without the express written permission of John Smith". "All Rights Reserved" means that NO rights have been given to the buyer, they are all reserved to the copyright holder. Of course, copyrights expire, and at that point all's fair game.
If sharing electronically is against the law, then nearly everyone here has committed a Federal offense by sharing links to otherwise copy written material. If this were true, then I think the mods would have stepped in long ago to avoid any legal complaints against this site. Maybe a moderator would like to take a crack at this?
He's asking about sharing the content of his personal book collection, not links to something else. Those are two very different things.
After 30 years copyrights have to be renewed. If they are not, you can have at them. But I always write the publisher just to make sure, or even call them.
You really need to hire a lawyer because copyright law can be quite complicated. And everything, written by anybody, is by law (1977) automatically copyrighted, even when the copyright has not been formally filed and recorded. As for other sites like the Newman Numismatic Portal already mentioned, even their site is copyrighted. That said, yes some of the material found there can be shared and even downloaded by others. But only because copyright has either expired or is owned by NNP and they grant you permission. Sharing links, at least in regard to the material being discussed, is never against the law. But sharing the actual material by copy/paste or producing scans and .pdf files, more of than not, is against the law. And even the "fair use clause", well even that has rather severe and strict limitations. And no those limitations are not as open to interpretation as some often think they are. When it comes to copyright, basic rule of thumb is - when in doubt, don't.
I'm not sure but I believe initial copyright has been extended to 75 years now not 30. Turns out it looks like it is even longer. This is from the United States Copyright office.
there is an exclusion to the copyright law for 'educational purposes'. In a class room type setting, your allowed to make copys and share. The law mostly applies to selling the material, however if it is still for sale, and your giving it away, that would not be very good, unless you are educating. I had to go through this with some youtube postings...
