Ellen
 
Having just attended Laura Gasaway's course on copyright, I have been
addressing the issue of copying newsletters cover to cover  in our
hospital also.  Yes, this is definitely an infringement and technically,
making a copy while you route the original is even an infringement.
Laura Gasaway cited three cases in which companies have been sued for
copying newsletters from cover to cover and the companies lost in all
three cases.  They are:
 
Washington Business Information, Inc v. Collier, Shannon & Scott.
 
Pasha Publications, Inc. v. Enmark Gas Corp, 22 U.S.P.Q. 2d 1076 (N.D.
Tex. 1992)
 
Television Digest, Inc v. United States Telephone Assoc., 47 P.T.C.J. 32
(D.D.C. 1993)
 
Furthermore, she told us that the Newsletter Publishers Association is
offering a $2000 bounty to people who turn in companies that do this.
 
Personally, I believe that librarians are giving up too easily in the
copyright battle.  I think we should challenge some of the things that
publishers are claiming as infringement where there is no legal
precedence, i.e. no one has been sued.  We are continuing to  copy tables
of contents on the basis that this is factual information that is
available in more than one source.
 
Enough said! (for now)
 
Ruth Holst
Columbia Hospital
Milwaukee
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414-961-3856