Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Disclaimer: January 2007

For anyone who's counting, this is the 29th Disclaimer post I've written. That means that I've written less of these than I have posts on Suman Latik, although I'll be able to catch up by June this year.

Of course, the number of these posts doesn't really matter. I actually aim to write Disclaimer posts at a rate that allows them to show up regularly on the Recent Post links: Because I write about ten posts a month, and the Recent Posts have been set to show the last ten posts I've written, it only makes sense to put these things together once a month.

Yes, there's a Note of Ownership on the tail end of the sidebar as well as a Creative Commons License, but they're things that people tend to miss easily. Besides, people are more likely to read some of the more technical stuff if you can make it interesting enough for them. The truly dedicated plagiarists, mind you -- those who absolutely don't give a damn as to what they're doing -- will still ignore these posts, but at least I'll have a bit of legal precedent backing me up.

Why am I so worried about plagiarists? Because there's quite a bit of creative material on this blog. There's not as much of it as I'd like there to be, but I'd like to protect the potential presence just in case. In addition to that, I'm a writer. I therefore can't place any visual watermarks into my works like a lot of artists can.

In addition, the articles on this blog make reference to a number of works by other authors as well. I don't claim these works as mine, but I wouldn't want to compromise my own position by being accused as a plagiarist myself. The Disclaimer posts allow me to clarify my use of these works for non-commercial purposes, and might serve as a good example for other researchers in the long-term.

So, with all this out of the way, I'll cite the regular details that go into each and every Disclaimer I write:

Everything written on this web site is completely original, and was conceived and executed by Sean, the writer who owns and operates this weblog. There are a number of exceptions floating around, of course, in which cases I will note the identity and web address of the source (if possible). I will make a point of addressing my references correctly, which means that anyone who objects to me using their material is welcome to contact me for negotiation. I like to think that I am a reasonable person when it comes to matters like these.

Anyone is welcome to use any of the content found on this site, as long as they extend the same courtesies to me as well: I ask that they provide relevant reference in the form of a name and a web address, and refrain from misquotation altogether. I also request that people ask me for permission before actually using any of this content -- this will ensure that I can verify the context in which this content may be used.

I claim any or all rights to penalize those people who misrepresent or misquote me with malicious or avaricious intent. I reserve the finest of all legal remedies for those who take my work with the intention of placing it under their names (or any other persons', for that matter); This is theft, plain and simple, and I will not tolerate it under any circumstances.

Further information on these requirements may be found with regards to the Creative Commons License I previously mentioned. Alternatively, you could also just drop me a line. I'm all too willing to answer questions for the as-yet uninformed.

This is the start of a new year, everyone. Respect for other people should show up pretty highly on our resolution lists, if we haven't already adopted such an attitude.

And, as many others have already pointed out: Have a Happy 2007.

2 comments:

Dom Cimafranca said...

You know, I've actually come to look forward to these monthly disclaimers. My favorite thus far is "Me Sean. This my blog...."

Sean said...

Dominique: It actually gets a little more difficult each month. There's a constant question of balance between semi-legality and audience interest. :)