On Mon, 6 Nov 1995, Robin wrote:
 
> Douglas,
>      Would you unpack "unless stated otherwise" for me.  Do you mean the author
>  has to relinquish his/her rights?  I want to put something like the following
> in my welcome message but am uncertain as to the legality -
>
> By default all material posted to this list is considered to be in the public
> domain unless there is an explicit copyright notice attached to the message.
 
Setting aside the question of whether you can simply take people's
private property (copyright) by asserting a "default" without
an explicit assignment, you may want to reconsider the utility
of this tactic.
 
By putting material in the public domain, you then allow anybody to
just take it, repackage it, sell it, etc.
It seems you'd go way beyond what is sufficienty to ensure a wide and
free dissemination (what I assume to be your goal).
You and your posters might be better served
by a statement that grants permission in advance at no fee for
further electronic (and print?) distribution for not-for-profit
educational uses.
 
 
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