Slashdot Mirror


Project Gutenberg Threatened Over PG Australia

Jon Noring writes "Michael Hart's venerable Project Gutenberg, based in the United States, is now being threatened with a lawsuit from the estate of the long-deceased author of 'Gone With The Wind.' The threat is being made because Project Gutenberg of Australia (link not provided) has the digital text version of GWTW on its server (GWTW is Public Domain in Australia), which, according to the estate's lawyers, is downloadable from the United States. Further information, including the copy of the 'take down' letter, and some commentary, is given at TeleRead. It is likely the threat is legally meritless, yet it is troubling, showing how online repositories of public domain works may be impacted by threats from other countries where the works are still covered under copyright."

8 of 628 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by tigress · · Score: 4, Funny

    "And, if you're in Australia..."

    Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm going to go and see if that Swiss Bikini-team is still hiring. I'm so tired of working in the Swedish Army Knife factory...

  2. Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by UserGoogol · · Score: 4, Funny
    (Joe is an American taxi driver, or something, while Dirk by most observable metrics not.)

    "Who exactly is the client?"

    "An Australian gentleman, he sounded like," said Joe. His voice was rather high and whiny.

    "Australian?" said Dirk, in surprise.

    "Yes sir, Australian. Like you."

    Dirk frowned. "I'm from England," he said.

    "But Australian, right?"

    "Why Australian, exactly?"

    "Australian accent."

    "Well, not really."

    "Well, where's that place?"

    "What place?" asked Dirk.

    "New Zealand," said Joe. "Australia's in New Zealand, right?"

    "Well, not precisely, but I can see what you're ... well, I was going to say I can see what you're getting at, but I'm not sure I can."

    "What part of New Zealand are you from, then?"

    "Well, more sort of England, in fact."

    "Is that in New Zealand?"

    "Only up to a point," said Dirk.


    Taken from Douglas Adams' unfinished Novel/compilation of essays: "Salmon of Doubt."
    --
    "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
  3. Re:You know... by lartful_dodger · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was going to say that when the Powers That Be in the US say "jump" the Australian 'government' asks "how high?", but

    a) you can't jump when you're kneeling,
    and
    b) you can't ask questions with your mouth full.

    --
    The face of 'evil' is always the face of total need
  4. Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They only see what they wanna see, like the dead people in 6th Sense....Remember in the American Bizarro take on the world the following are all true:
    1) Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are brothers
    2) Iraq is full of WMDs
    3) Torturing Human beings, killing innocents and holding prisoners in violation of the Geneva convention are all okay if you think you have a big dick.
    4) The Metric system is for wimps
    5) Anybody who's neither black nor white must be a terrorist.
    6) India = Pakistan, Australia = Austria and there is no such country as Kazakhstan.
    7) Pakistan is a liberal secular democracy which respects human rights, is responsible with it WMDs and good team player, and thus merits the purchase of F-16s and Stinger Missiles, miraculously similar to those owned by Osama Bin Laden's Men.
    8) India is a place where people rid on elephants and camels. If you're not an elephant-rider or camel-fucker, then you must be a software developer who stole an American's God-given right to own an SUV.
    9) Those dang Brits have corrupted "American" and speak it with funny accents, spelling and words. (Who the fuck takes a 'lift' to the 4th floor anyway?).
    10) (my Favourite) It is better to be committed to your cause and completely wrong, then to support a cause and change your position on the release of new information(i.e. flip-flop).

  5. Re:Get it now ... Warez Literature!!!!! by programminandy · · Score: 5, Funny

    There is a Warez Literature Club just down the street from where I live. The door to the club is guarded by unassuming little old ladies so the Authorities won't know what's happening.

    Ratios are strictly enforced too. Each club member has a card that tracks what Warez Literature they take home. Fines are levied by the little old ladies if a member doesn't bring in at least as much Warez Literature they left with on previous visits and the member can not take any more Wares Literature if the fines are not paid.

  6. Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by volgers · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fortunately, this one still is accessible:
    www.georgewbush.org/
    :-)

  7. Re:Stupid stupid stupid. by rocjoe71 · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...not blocked here in Canada.

    But that just makes sense, after all, when G.W. gets re-elected he, led by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Pearl will concoct a scheme to invade Canada to protect the U.S. from "Salmon of Mass Desctruction".

    Even as we speak, salmon are crossing the border into the United States unchecked and thereby threatening the "American Way of Life (tm)".

    --
    Height: 38U, Weight: 0 Newtons, Eyes: #0000FF, OS: Gray Matter 1.0 (Alpha)
  8. Re:And next week... by Ohreally_factor · · Score: 4, Funny

    Lets not stop with just information. Total quarantine and seal he borders. Just give me a chance to get out.

    --
    It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.