View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Adam Brown Curator
Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 7312 Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)
|
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 12:28 am Post subject: Birth Certificates on this forum |
|
|
I have taken this from an e-mail forum I subscribe to:
You may think (as I do) that your own birth certificate belongs to you but this is not so!
All statutory birth, death and marriage certificates issued by a Registrar in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are copyrighted to the Crown.
For some reason Scotland's People have once again highlighted this on their website. I have always known this but chose to disregard it insofar as we all use them strictly for family history. However, after a chat with a member earlier today I have now made some enquiries and find that it is time for us to abide by the law! A major mailing list is apparently having serious problems on this subject now and I do not wish this to happen here.
So what is the law? Any image, whether acquired physically at Register Office, by mail from them, or via Scotland's People website, is strictly copyrighted to the Crown. You must not post a copy of this image anywhere without the express authority of the Crown office nor must you send it on to anyone.
Any transcription of the certificate is copyrighted to the transcriber i.e. you or me - this can be shared, copied or included in any written family history or otherwise.
So what do we do? We transcribe the certificate if we are publishing here on the mailing list. Use your own words. I always say - death certificate signed by - rather than - informant at death, etc. Turn it into a transcription rather than a straight copy. Then you may do as you wish with it.
I have been, and remain, an avid collector of certificates and plan on continuing to be as I hope you all will. However, on this list, please do not offer straight copies. Tell people what you have and invite them to email you direct. Then you may send them what you wish!! Please do not stop offering the information from certificates. We all need that information.
Adam |
|
Back to top |
|
|
paul Nixon
Joined: 08 Jan 2007 Posts: 22 Location: India
|
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 1:54 am Post subject: |
|
|
That's interesting Adam.
Regarding the the circumvention of Crown Copyright via transcription of the copyrighted document, would you happen to know whether this rule applies to other Crown Copyright material, like the WW1 sevice records for instance?
Paul _________________ Remembering the men and women of Chailey, Sussex, England
www.chailey1914-1918.net |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Adam Brown Curator
Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 7312 Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)
|
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Paul
I'm sorry I really don't know. The message above would seem to imply that if you put crown copyrighted text into your own words then it's alright. How much you can alter a service record to make it your own words I don't know?
Good luck!
Adam |
|
Back to top |
|
|
apanderson Administrator
Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 2571 Location: Stirlingshire
|
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I think it's OK to post cropped bits - e.g. on a birth certificate, just the section showing the person's full name & possibly another 'bit' showing the names of thr parents.
If it's not, please let us know!
I was about to post parts of a BC when I eventually reach "R" in Camelon Cemetery on SWGP. My reason - CWGC has this particular man listed as plain William James Ross, when he is in fact William John James Armstrong Primrose Ross and I wanted to use the BC along with his gravestone to confirm it was the same man.
Anne |
|
Back to top |
|
|
spoons
Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 4991 Location: St John's Town of Dalry
|
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
My understanding of the copyright law as it applies to images is that the whole image is copyright and that means that you cannot use any part of it. Same principle as applies to music where you can get in trouble for taking even a small sample.
\Paul |
|
Back to top |
|
|
dhubthaigh Our first ever 1000-poster
Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 5071 Location: Blairgowrie, Perthshire
|
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
I posted some images but think I've now removed them all now.
I have transcribed the relevant info. for the post. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|