It happens again and again and again and again.

Another Website claiming to be doing a "favor" for the author, offering them "free advertising" and "benefiting the community" by posting content from an authors book or his printed article on the Internet.  Or maybe its an article by an author taken from either the author's site, or a site for whom the author wrote and posted to e-mail.   Or its a chapter from his book, passed around in e-mail or posted on a bulletin board.  It might even be a newspaper article on something important to the community.

The author is acknowledged, given credit for his work, and the person doing this feels justified. They have fulfilled the copyright law, they have given the author credit for his work.  Or they name the newspaper, or the web site the article was taken from.

And the justification for this all is that they are too "poor" to purchase the book or magazine.  Or it's for "the good of the community".  "People need to know this."

What is not acknowledged is that this is illegal.  And not only is this illegal, but in the long run, it deprives the author or publication from making a living.  It is a theft of "intellectual property".  It can do harm in the extreme if the constant reprint of the material leads to the failure of the book or publication to be sold.  The publisher, the author and ultimately the people responsible for the publishing of this book or publication do not receive the monies due them for the services they have rendered.

There are those who are going to argue over and over about "it doesn't do any harm" or "I gave the author credit" or whatever excuse they can think of to push the responsibility elsewhere.  But the truth of the matter is... it is theft.  And it is harming someone, somewhere.

If you have any questions regarding copyright, just look inside the jacket of any book.  Llewellyn, New Page, Phoenix, they all say basically the same thing:

"All rights reserved.  This book (or whatever) may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher. "

Sometimes they will make an exception for a review excerpt.  But very rarely for any other purpose. Some newspapers do encourage you to "e-mail this article to a friend", and you can do that, but only where it is stipulated. 

So what does this mean?  This means, unless you have permission, in writing, from the Publisher, you can not copy it... period.  No if's, and's or but's.

Web sites have been shut down, e-mail lists closed, people charged and people sued because they just don't get it.

The Internet is not a "free for all".  Unless the author, or publication specifically states that you can copy or e-mail an article, you can not do it. 

Stop stealing money from the mouths of the authors you cherish so dearly.  On the one hand you love books by "So and So" yet on the other hand you copy chapters from his/her books and pass them around the Internet for free. 

What alternative do you have?  You can not buy the book cause you don't have the $12.95, but you can plunk down $18.95 for a CD, or pay $125 to attend a weekend festival, or $90 for that brand new athame.

Such respect you have for an author you love so dearly.

I am tired of the "Poor Pagan" excuse, and tired of all the people running around yelling "Wiccan Rede" yet stealing from others.  And if this hits you the wrong way, that's too bad.  Ethics is a word we all need to come to grips with in the Pagan community.  We need to exercise morality and honesty.  Is this something you dumped when you became Pagan?  Maybe, then, you don't belong here.  When you decided to travel this path, you were not given the right to violate other peoples rights.  We scream the loudest when someone violates our legal rights, but we don't seem to have a problem stepping on someone else's.  This is a shame on the Pagan community.

If there is still a doubt about what is or is not a violation of copyright law, let an expert in the field explain it to you:       http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html

Mr. Brad Templeton has some important and extremely simplified information on his web site that is as good as you can get anywhere in explaining what you can and can not do.

There are exceptions.  For educational purposes, you may use some materials, but you need the permission of the author, even if it is just a courtesy.  You may directly quote an article up to 250 words for "review purposes".    Also, if you are refering to a newspaper article you want to pass on to another, again, a leader of 250 words and either link to the rest of the article or to the book.  Finally, you may quote someone directly as a public statement with their permission. 

Also note, public domain is an exception.  Photos of well known Authors are reprinted with permission in most cases, but they are considered public domain in others.  Check with the publishing house if you are unsure.  Publicity photos are usually an open item.

Regarding the Internet, it has been acknowledged that International Law regarding copyrights is a valid law on the web.  What does this mean?  It means, and you can look it up if you want, that when decisions in courts are made regarding copyright violation on the Internet, they will adhere to International law.  And what exactly is this?  Well, at best, it is very vague.  But the gist of the law is that... all material written is considered copyrighted by the author.  There is no need to file any paperwork, it is automatically considered copyrighted by the author upon publication.

So stop arguing.  It is illegal if you do not have written permission in most cases.  And all material is considered, for the most part, as copyrighted.  No possible argument there.

How do we stop this?  We learn the truth of the matter by asking first.  Does this web site have permission to reprint all that material from all those books.  Most sites will tell you in print:   reprinted with permission of "So and So". 

And then we refuse to support people and sites who do violate copyright law and we do what we can to discourage this kind of illegal behavior. 

How can you be sure what you are doing is not a violation of copyright law?  Very, very simple.  Ask.  Ask the publisher, ask the writer, ask the publication.  And never forward an article without looking and checking to see if it may be forwarded. 

Supporting your community means not only digging into your pocket, but also upholding legal codes.  Take a stand on moral issues and learn to not just talk the talk but also walk the walk.  Theft is not ok, for any reason.  It does, ultimately, harm someone.  And we are so adamant in telling others that we live by a "Harm None" code.  Let's prove it.