[Husker] Response to TB in Austin & Copyright Violations (fwd)

[Mike Nolan]

> Let's say that I wanted to write an academic paper on fan culture and 
> select the Husker List as a public forum to analyze.  

Odd that you should ask that, because I know several online forums,
including the Husker List, have been cited in articles in academic 
journals, including a few law journal articles.  

I don't know that there's a precise answer to your question, in part 
because this is an area where law is still being formulated.  It would
probably be fair use, but at some point there is an aggregate quantity that
could be deemed to infringe on my compilation copyright on the Husker List
as a whole.  (I'm sure lawyers will cringe at this simplification, but in
essence a compliation copyright means you can't publish a book called 
'The collected ramblings of the Husker List' without my permission.
That's different from a carefully culled set of quotes to illustrate some
specific theme, though.)

>From an academic point of view, you would be expected to provide proper
citations just like you would for quotes from books, newspapers or magazines.
I think the APA handbook and the Manual of Style both have developed
citation standards appropriate for online material.

If you're interested in thoughts on the subject by an expert in online 
intellectual property law, I recommend Mike Godwin's 1998 book, Cyber Rights.  
(BTW, this is the same person who formulated Godwin's Law.  For those
unfamiliar with the term, look it up!)

Mike's book may not be the most current one on the subject anymore, but I
found it interesting reading when it came out.
--
Mike Nolan