What is the reCAPTCHA policy on copyrights?

[Psykl]

Hello,

I just noticed that the Internet Archive, which reCAPTCH is
digitizing, has a lot of copyrighted stuff on it. e,.g., Mistral S
Daughter - Judith krantz
Downloads: 2,085 (Published in 1958). The last thing I want is to be
sued for copyright infringement just because I tried to buy tickets on
ticketmaster or searched the US Patent Office files.

Are reCAPTCHA users protected? What steps does reCAPTCHA take to
prevent copyright infringement and does reCAPTCHA assume the liability
for any possible infringements?

Psykl

[kao...@gmail.com]

You can't copyright a word... so I think using the service is safe regardless. All you ever do is display two words, probably from different texts (and often less than two words).

But from Wikipedia:

Works published with notice of copyright or registered in unpublished form on or after January 1, 1923, and prior to January 1, 1964, had to be renewed during the 28th year of their first term of copyright to maintain copyright for a full 95-year term.^[11]

With the exception of maps, music, and movies, the vast majority of works published in the United States before 1964 were never renewed for a second copyright term.^[12]

So odds are it's public domain anyway.

-- 
-kaolin imago fire
-http://www.gudmagazine.com/ - have you read a GUD Magazine?

[Psykl]

I don't wish to quibble but I think this a legitimate issue. First,
your are right that the words are not copyrightable. However, you are
assisiting in compiling the words of a copyrighted work, so maybe
contributory infringement would be more on point. Also, its unlikely
that any one particular login is violating copyright, but with
thousands of texts being entered some will likely still have
enforceable copyrights, even if not the majority. For example, Judith
Krantz is a well known author. Its unlike she or her estate forgot to
renew her very valuble copyrights (many of her books are still in
print today). I am mostly interested in how reCAPTCHAs legal counsel
approaches these issues. Obviously, the easiest thing is to check the
copyright status on the works being sent to folks to log in. Seems
like a simple precaution, but there is nothing on the website
regarding copyright.

Psykl

On Jun 11, 12:36 pm, kao...@gmail.com wrote:
> You can't copyright a word... so I think using the service is safe
> regardless. All you ever do is display two words, probably from
> different texts (and often less than two words).
>
> But from Wikipedia:
>
>     Works published with notice of copyright or registered in
>     unpublished form on or after January 1, 1923, and prior to January
>     1, 1964, had to be renewed during the 28th year of their first term

>     of copyright to maintain copyright for a full 95-year term.^[11]
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain#cite_note-10>

>
>     With the exception of maps, music, and movies, the vast majority of
>     works published in the United States before 1964 were never renewed

>     for a second copyright term.^[12]
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain#cite_note-11>

>
> So odds are it's public domain anyway.
>
> --
> -kaolin imago fire

> -http://www.gudmagazine.com/- have you read a GUD Magazine?

>
> On 6/11/2009 9:23 AM, Psykl wrote:
>
>
>
> > Hello,
>
> > I just noticed that the Internet Archive, which reCAPTCH is
> > digitizing, has a lot of copyrighted stuff on it. e,.g.,  Mistral S
> > Daughter - Judith krantz
> > Downloads: 2,085 (Published in 1958).  The last thing I want is to be
> > sued for copyright infringement just because I tried to buy tickets on
> > ticketmaster or searched the US Patent Office files.
>
> > Are reCAPTCHA users protected? What steps does reCAPTCHA take to
> > prevent copyright infringement and does reCAPTCHA assume the liability
> > for any possible infringements?
>

> > Psykl- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[reCAPTCHA Support]

Hi,

We make our best efforts to only display content for which the source (eg, the Internet Archive) has the rights to digitize that content.

- Ben

--
reCAPTCHA: stop spam, read books
http://recaptcha.net

[Allen Black]

Hi Ben,

 

Thats great to know.  I  feel better about using the service knowing its looking out for author's interests.  In the admittedly rare even there was a copyright lawsuit, are reCAPTCHA users protected, i.e., are we indemnified by from being sued for using the service or is there a risk we could be sued too?

 

Best,

Psykl

[reCAPTCHA Support]

Hi,

We, like the vast majority of websites, do not provide any types of indemnity.

- Ben