Bloggers and potential bloggers would be wise to fully understand the basics of copyright law especially as it pertains to the concept of “fair use.” Becoming educated on copyright law as it pertains to blogging is easy if you know where to look:

• GeneaBloggers has developed a Resources on Blog Copyright and Theft page (http://www.geneabloggers.com/resources-blog-copyright-content-theft/) which lists close to 40 free resources to learn more about copyright and how to protect your intellectual property.

• Stanford University has produced an excellent educational website called Copyright & Fair Use (http://fairuse.stanford.edu) which gives a good overview of how copyright law works, what exactly is meant by “fair use” and more. Many bloggers rely upon this website to get a better understanding of what should and should not be reproduced on a blog.

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation has produced an excellent Bloggers’ Legal Guide (http://www.eff.org/issues/bloggers/legal/liability/IP) which also discusses some do’s and don’ts of copyright law.

• A great resource within the geneablogging community is Craig Manson’s blog GeneaBlogie (http://blog.geneablogie.net). Besides being a most excellent spot to learn more about his family’s history, Craig has closely tracked various copyright issues (http://blog.geneablogie.net/category/copyright) as they pertain to quoting and using published materials on a blog.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee