On-Line Posting

[Lucca]

My question concerns the legality of someone posting copyrighted material on an Internet forum.

I am about to publish a book which will have technical readout from an investigation involving an electron microscope (SEM). The data is a direct printout from the SEM. It is a graph showing the elemental composition of a metallic ore.

To get the research done private funds were paid to the university who did the testing.

My concern is that in an on-line forum(s) the graphic data will be reproduced. Since the data adds value to the book publishing it on-line will negate that factor. Resulting in fewer sales -- for the data is much sought after and nearly impossible to obtain.

Can anything be done to discourage or (better yet) prevent a forum from publishing such data?

L.

 

[quincy]

My question concerns the legality of someone posting copyrighted material on an Internet forum.

I am about to publish a book which will have technical readout from an investigation involving an electron microscope (SEM). The data is a direct printout from the SEM. It is a graph showing the elemental composition of a metallic ore.

To get the research done private funds were paid to the university who did the testing.

My concern is that in an on-line forum(s) the graphic data will be reproduced. Since the data adds value to the book publishing it on-line will negate that factor. Resulting in fewer sales -- for the data is much sought after and nearly impossible to obtain.

Can anything be done to discourage or (better yet) prevent a forum from publishing such data?

L.

What is the name of your state, Lucca?

 

[FlyingRon]

The SEM has a number of sensors on it (I used to operate one years ago). I suspect you're talking about the output of an EDS or similar elemental composition run. Frankly, there doesn't appear to be any creative element to that. It's pure data and not protectable by copyright.

You can try to discourage it, but the copyright law won't appear to help you. The best bet is to limit the dissemination of the information by those who have it now as much as possible prior to publication.

 

[quincy]

"Pure data" can have creative expression and the creative expression of facts can be offered protection under copyright laws.

This is not to say that a direct printout from the SEM has the creativity necessary for such protection. More needs to be known.

And, even if copyrights are not infringed, it is possible that there are other rights that could be with any unauthorized publishing of the "graphic data" online.

I would first like to know the name of your state (if you are in the US) or, more importantly, the name of your country, if you are not in the US. I saw that you noticed my "state name" question in my reply to your thread but you left the forum before responding.