[michaelfaries]

Hey Tom,

Let me know the specific wording that's confusing and I'll endeavor to clarify (and re-word, if necessary).

The primary goal of the Open Content Model and Creative Commons License is to allow others to republish content from the sites, like BattlestarPegasus.com -- and give credit where credit is due. If it originated at BP.com, then BP.com deserves credit as the source.

The Open Content Model is also designed to protect the works of whomever submitted/authored it. In other words, if Jane Doe writes an article and publishes it with us, no web site should ever grab that content and publish it as their own, sans proper crediting. I don't care if it's a transcription or an original work; that person deserves credit for their work on it -- and anyone republishing it needs to acknowledge it.

Submissions to BattlestarPegasus.com are not wholly owned by me, the owner of BattlestarPegasus.com, unless I create them myself (such as an article, interview, etc.). People can feel free to make submissions with the knowledge that they retain the rights to their work. (Another example: If someone submits a fan fiction, then manages to get it commercially published, I'm not going to be asking for a share of the $$; it's the author's work. I'm merely a host for the fan fiction which the author has permitted me to showcase.)

re: ownership. For example, Dave Kerin may opt to publish images with me. But they're HIS images which he's granted permission for me to host. I don't own them, although they're legally protected by the Open Content Model and Creative Commons License on my site, plus my legal notices.

In fact, an interesting example of content ownership happened last year. Don had asked me to pull down his Gallery section; the images didn't reflect the quality of his current work. (His images were outdated and he wanted them pulled.) 1.) Don had granted permission for me to post them on BP.com; 2.) Those Gallery images were his; and 3.) I pulled them down when he asked -- with no objections (although I really liked the artwork regardless & would have liked to keep it posted). Another example would be if John LaRocque says, "Michael, pull down my BG FAQs." I do so. 'Nuff said.

If John permits his FAQ to be republished (per the Open Content Model - which it isn't at present), I want to make sure -- absolutely sure -- that anyone who wants to republish it gives him (the author) credit, as well as the source (BattlestarPegasus.com).

If the file(s) resides on multiple web sites (ie. not just BP.com), then it's the author's call on how they want to be credited.

Note: Some things are off-limits. On Space1999.org, image republishing isn't an issue (unless the image contains the Space1999.org logo). On BattlestarPegasus.com, there might be some restrictions, if any of the artists don't wish to have their works distributed elsewhere. The final Open Content Model data will highlight this.

Michael
:colwar: