We all enjoy learning more about our fids, as well as items of interest in the larger Avian community. Reading stories of Parrots in the news and finding out about upcoming events through news items and articles we find on the web is a great way to share this information, and we very much appreciate the time and effort folks take to share with us. There is a concern that we need to be aware of though, and that is proper use of copyrighted material. Intellectual property is getting to be a hot topic, one that is well understood by anyone who makes their living through writing, photography, or music.

Generally speaking, almost anything you find on the web can be considered to be protected by copyright; particularly, anything from a newspaper or other news outlet, or a commercial site. It need not display the familiar 'c' in a circle symbol, either. Copyright means that the material is not to be reproduced without express permission of the author, or the holder of the copyright.

So, what does this mean for us? By all means, please continue to share these items of interest, just have a care as to how you do so. Usually, an author or copyright holder will not object to a brief attributed quote, followed by linkage to the article. So rather than quote the entire article, quote the first line or two, attribute it to its source, and link to the original article's location. For example:

From the Venusian Gazette - It's really not a lot of trouble to do, and merely gives consideration and credit to the originator of the material. Writers and photographers do want their material to be seen, after all, but would (rightly) prefer that it be seen in its original context and location. In many cases (such as with newspapers, etc.) someone has bought and paid for the right to display the material on their site.

Thank you for helping us out with this, and thank you so much for caring enough and being interested enough to share your 'net finds' with us here!

Thanks for the reminder, Nate.

Thanks Nate. I didn't even think of that. I'll change my post.