A word of warning!!

[celia]

I have been reading this topic with interest about people stealing from another persons tree.I don't know anything  about putting trees on the net.Because its something i would never do.Isn't it possible to put watermarks on photos that you put on a tree? this is my favorite website for little things if i want them.They have a photo and text/watermark you can download free

http://www.freesoftware4all.co.uk/graphics_misc.htm

Celia

[jana]

I too have had this sort of thing happen and am now very wary. However it is worth considering that when a tree has thousands of names on it, it is very difficult to navigate so the likelihood of anyone making sense of the data is fairly small.
jana

[Guy Etchells]

Nick, I have no problem whatsoever with genuine researchers using information that I release, so long as it is relevant to their tree and mine. I object most strongly to plagiarisms in family history as in any walk of life. It is inherently deceitful for anyone to pass off another's work as their own.Another thing I object to most strongly (slightly off topic) is people who do not acknowledge information when they have asked for it, and when it is freely given in response to such a request. In my experience people requesting information in magazines are the worst offenders.

Hi - I'm still not sure that I know where the line is between what is relevant and what is plagiarism or name-grabbing - can someone clearly define what is acceptable to use and what is not for a newbie please.

Thanks very much
Maisie

I think that depends on whether you're talking ethically or legally.

Legally speaking, details about the people themselves which appear on censuses and published BMD records are in the public domain, and you can use them, but not images of records like censuses, which could well be copyright.  This also applies to images of BMD certificates, which are Crown Copyright.  If you see a story or a photo on a web site, you should obtain the copyright owner's permission before posting them on your tree or web site.  Note that copyright laws can vary from country to country, so it is a bit of a minefield.  In the UK, photographs are copyright to the owner for 50 years.

Speaking ethically, I think that if you take a lot of information from someone else, even if it is in the public domain, then you should at least acknowledge and thank them for their efforts.

Not quite as clear cut as you think Nick.
In Europe we have database right which gives protection to a collection of facts for 15 years.
This can mean that taking even two facts from a site may be unlawful.

If the site owner would prosecute is another question but ethically nothing should be taken from any website until permission has been granted.
Cheers
Guy

[Nick29]

Every time I post it seems that Nick (who I often agree with) and one other rooter HAVE to post something to show they  are  better/more net savvy/more generally wonderful  than me.

Yes Nick, I know about that site.  You are much cleverer and more wonderful than I.

Goodbye Rootschat.  For a while, anyway

Oh, I'm sorry !  It was only meant in jest 

[Redroger]

Quite right Guy, Perhaps if the onus to prosecute was with the CPS on receipt of a complaint it might make things happen. I think they are too often reluctant to prosecute, but I believe it would only take one successful prosecution with exemplary punishment of the offender to sort the problem out for the foreseeable future. I thought I had an answer with GEDMARK but it seems this can be circumvented.

[BevL]

When I first started on another site I made contact with several people who had information about my family and I readily allowed them to see my tree (as I was seeing their's), and when some of the  things correlated  I asked them if I could put it on my tree, (some even sent copies of certificates) but after a while one particular person seemed to have 96 matches with my tree and so they should!  They had put all the particulars of my side of the family right down to a mis-spelling of a name.
I just fill in my own private tree now and haven't put anything onto the other for ages and when it is time to renew - no more!
Bev

[Floss]

I have no problem with people using my info providing they're willing to share theirs too.  I've been in contact with lovely people who have sent me photos and other info, I always ask if I can add their info to my tree and is it ok if I pass it along to others, its just common courtesy.  What I do object to is people using your info and making out that its their own    and not sharing what they have.  We all know how expensive and time-consuming genealogy is and an acknowledgement from people that have used your info would go a long way.

[Nick29]

I've made this comment on other threads where this has been discussed, but I make no apology for repeating it.....

None of us could have a family tree at all, if it were not for work done by lots of other people (often unpaid). 

So, your family tree is not all your own work.

If we all let one bad experience make us withdraw our knowledge from the public domain, then what's the point of sites like GR and Ancestry ?

I've recently had to pull my tree out of public view, because of a legal action that I'm taking over an inheritance, but I feel very guilty about it, when I see all the information that others are happy to share with me.