At 08:45 07/11/01 +1100, you wrote:
Copyright is a breach of the law, and it is made more complex, by the fact that Electronic copyright is different to paper based copyright. Another question is what is best determined by the term Public Domain, etc.
AFAIK, and at least as far as British law is concerned, electronic copyright is the same as paper copyright. However the work is created and stored, the copyright automatically belongs to the author and it is illegal to make copies without their permission. And yes, this does include things such as printing websites onto paper for easier reading.
Any work can be placed in the public domain, by virtue of the author saying that it is so, but the act of putting work on a web page doesn't automatically constitute putting it into the public domain, any more than putting a book in a library makes it public domain.
Issues of fair use, etc, are the same as for works printed on paper. There are some fuzzy areas, especially around the question of hyperlinks, but in general you have exactly the same legal status with regards to ownership of copyright whether you put your work in a paper zine or on the web.
Regards Tony Nolan
love Anna