Re: Legal ways around copyright for one's own giveaway texts

From: Marvin <physchem_at_EARTHLINK.NET>
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 11:36:55 -0500

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 18:18:43 +0000
> From: Charles Oppenheim <C.Oppenheim_at_lboro.ac.uk>
> To: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_coglit.ecs.soton.ac.uk>, kam.patel_at_thes.co.uk
> Subject: Re: legal ways around copyright of one's own giveaway texts
>
> There is no disagreement. I support Stevan's view that by doing the
> following:
>
> 1 author posts unrefereed preprint on web site
>
> 2 author submits same at a later date (maybe five minutes later!) to
> a refereed journal
>
> 3 if/when accepted, author makes amendments to the article
> in the light of the referees' and editor's comments
>
> 4 author signs copyright assignment form of publisher and hand on
> heart confirms that this article has not appeared anywhere before
>
> 5 author then posts note onto preprint, pointing out the sorts of
> areas where corrections might need to be made by a reader to
> improve the text
>
> then the author has done nothing wrong, has broken no law, and has not
> signed a contract (s)he should not have signed.
>
> Professor Charles Oppenheim
> Dept of Information Science
> Loughborough University
> Loughborough
> Leics LE11 3TU

It seems to me that step 4 can be illegal. The copyright assignment is a
contract.
Laws differ by country, and I'd encourage anyone who wishes to follow
procedure to consult an attorney. Small changes may not matter.

There is also the matter of the ethics of lying. Children may think it is
OK to lie if you cross your fingers, but adults are supposed to know better.
Received on Mon Jan 24 2000 - 19:17:43 GMT