“He that goes a borrowing goes a sorrowing.”
Benjamin Franklin in Early American proverbs and proverbial phrases (1977) pg. 42
I am guessing that Franklin was talking about financial debt … so his words continue to ring true, even as unrealistic as they might sound for our times. The modern lifestyle does not support a “pay as you go” approach for most of us. Our major purchases are almost always done with “a little down and easy monthly payments.”
Didn’t this unrestrained borrowing contribute to the recent “troubles” on the personal financial front for many?
I wonder what Franklin would have thought about the current discussion of copyright issues. With the advent of technology which allows simple and quick copying and sharing of information, images, and sounds, protecting your intellectual output is pretty difficult these days.
Just ask the music industry …
My personal viewpoint is that we probably need to dump the resistance and maximize the exposure. When you share someone else’s work, in whatever form, follow these simple rules:
1) Follow the law as it is now interpreted. This infers that you know the law. Copyright Law of the United States ~ pay special attention to the appendices, because these hold the more current interpretations.
2) Give credit to the owner and to the source, which may be two different things. If someone writes a document and someone else publishes it, you usually have a source and an owner, in that order.
3) Devote time to finding out who the owner is. Just spend the time and do it. Put the same effort into identifying who created and who owns the rights to something that YOU would like others to do when they “share” your stuff:)
4) Pay attention to the ongoing debate, so you are not guessing about the current interpretations. especially the nuances. Do not generalize a decision in a specific situation to a wider application. BITLAW is one source of ongoing information in this regard. Follow Michael Scott as @copyrightlaw if you prefer Tweet-sized updates.
5) Understand when something can be freely shared, as with works in the public domain due to their age or to being created by government employees. Some things are available for use without restriction ~ others are not. Do not assume or generalize – determine in each case.
6) Still give credit where credit is due, even if you can take the stuff and sell it under your own name. This is always an appropriate action, regardless of other details.
… and then we have Nina Paley and her girls “Mimi and Eunice” here is their simple mantra:
♡ COPYING IS AN ACT OF LOVE. PLEASE COPY & SHARE.
What would you add to all this?
Where am I off-base or woefully uninformed?
I realize this is not a scholarly work on copyright, but these are the rules I try to follow. At least I did not borrow money to create this intellectual property:)
Going through my Mimi and Eunice collection while I wait for responses in the Heartland ….
John
THE STRATEGIC LEARNER 
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