GustavsGos
New Member
I am running a website that posts trial transcripts that I process for legibility after downloading them from the site for the International Court Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, here:
http://www.icty.org/action/cases/4
My website is here: http://ictytranscripts.dyndns.org/
I am having several problems with the ICTY and their website. Their first complaint was that I was posting pages that they had altered for security purposes at their website. I tend to ignore this complaint because it is simply irrational and certainly a legal absurdity to expect everyone on the internet to alter pages they have copied from a public site because the original posting has been removed for security purposes. Once you post something to the internet, you have completely removed the possibility of withdrawing said information from public distribution. Any security concerns about information you have posted to the internet are going to have to be confronted at some other level besides expecting everyone to act as if the information was never posted.
The second problem is that I have collected the transcripts that I have processed and compiled them into ebooks available at Amazon's Kindle library. They can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_ath...alias=digital-text&field-author=Paul Pikowsky
The ICTY complains that I have violated the terms under which they allow public access to their website.
Here is quote of the TIF file they sent me containing the letter:
Seeing that they have contacted Amazon, I contacted them myself,
Amazon replied, saying very little:
Please notice from the link I posted to the transcripts I posted at Amazon that the transcripts are still there. Amazon has not yet decided that I am in violation of their terms and has not decided in favor of the UN's complaint to them. Since they replied to me, I assume they are going to leave things as they are.
Would anyone care to comment on this issue? What are the copyrights on trial transcripts? Do I have the right to publish these? And what is my contribution and how do I take credit for my work? Am I vulnerable to a lawsuit from the UN?
Any ideas at all would help.
Thanks in advance to any replies.
http://www.icty.org/action/cases/4
My website is here: http://ictytranscripts.dyndns.org/
I am having several problems with the ICTY and their website. Their first complaint was that I was posting pages that they had altered for security purposes at their website. I tend to ignore this complaint because it is simply irrational and certainly a legal absurdity to expect everyone on the internet to alter pages they have copied from a public site because the original posting has been removed for security purposes. Once you post something to the internet, you have completely removed the possibility of withdrawing said information from public distribution. Any security concerns about information you have posted to the internet are going to have to be confronted at some other level besides expecting everyone to act as if the information was never posted.
The second problem is that I have collected the transcripts that I have processed and compiled them into ebooks available at Amazon's Kindle library. They can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_ath...alias=digital-text&field-author=Paul Pikowsky
The ICTY complains that I have violated the terms under which they allow public access to their website.
Here is quote of the TIF file they sent me containing the letter:
Dear ...
It has come to our attention that you are selling at least sixteen volumes of a publication entitled "Trial Transcripts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia," on Amazon.com and its affiliated websites. This violates the copyright and conditions of use for the ICTY website, and the Terms and Conditions of Use of United Nations Web Siets. In pertinent part:
(a) The United Nations maintains this web site (the "Site") as a courtesy to those who may choose to access the Site ("Users"). The information presented herein is for informative purposes only. The United Nations grants permission to Users to visit the Site and to download and copy the information, documents and materials (collectively, "Materials") from the Site for the User's personal, non-commercial use, without any right to resell or redistribute them or to compile or create derivative works therefrom, subject to the terms and conditions outlined below, and also subject to more specific restrictions that may apply to specific Material within this Site.
We insist that you stop this practice immediately, and remove all of these listings from Amazon.com, its related entities, and any other website through which you may be selling ICTY transcripts, we will be forced to take legal action. We have also written to Amazon.com to inform them of this violation, and have requested that they remove your listings from all affiliates sites immediately.
Seeing that they have contacted Amazon, I contacted them myself,
Hello:
I am responding to your mail concerning violations of the use of your website and redacting posted testimony.
I am communicating with Amazon to see what their opinion is on this matter. Please rest assured that I am sensitive to issues of copyright and the reproduction of the trial transcripts posted on your site. I am happy to oblige the law, whatever it may be, regarding this matter.
....
Amazon replied, saying very little:
Dear Mr. Pikowsky:
We are unable to advise you in this regard. If you have questions regarding your rights we suggest that you obtain counsel of your own choosing to discuss this matter.
Regards,
...
Copyright/Trademark Agent
Amazon.com
Please notice from the link I posted to the transcripts I posted at Amazon that the transcripts are still there. Amazon has not yet decided that I am in violation of their terms and has not decided in favor of the UN's complaint to them. Since they replied to me, I assume they are going to leave things as they are.
Would anyone care to comment on this issue? What are the copyrights on trial transcripts? Do I have the right to publish these? And what is my contribution and how do I take credit for my work? Am I vulnerable to a lawsuit from the UN?
Any ideas at all would help.
Thanks in advance to any replies.