Copyright Policy Inquiry: Sharing Journal Articles via Email and Forums

[Boston_Guy]

I wanted to inquire into the forums policy on sending a copy of a journal article to someone else. I take it that I can, say, post the abstract to an article or post a quote from an article. But what about when I go to the library, xerox a journal article, come home and scan it into a PDF file? Can I then e-mail it to somene who has an interest in the subject matter? Is that forbidden by copyright law?

 

[Borek]

Seems to me like you are mixing two things here - first you ask about the forum policy, then you ask about a copyright law. We can't do much about what you do outside of the forum, we can enforce only that you follow forum rules on this site - so as long as your quotes are not too long and you reference the original source, that's OK with us. I am not sure about details when you send the copy to someone else. I got copies of some papers this way from people I know, so I guess they treated it as a "fair use". Perhaps ask in the library?

 

[Boston_Guy]

Seems to me like you are mixing two things here - first you ask about the forum policy, then you ask about a copyright law.

I appologize if I was being unclear. My objective is to learn how to follow the forum rules. In that respect I read the forum rules which are posted here https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=414380

The forum rule that I have in mind is this

Copyright Violations: Copyright infringement is illegal. Physics Forums will adhere to the law to the best of its ability. Never post an article in its entirety. When posting copyrighted material, please use small sections or link to the article. When posting copyrighted material please give credit to the author in your post.

I want to understand how it applies to my actions on this discussion board. For example: someone asked a question about the equivalence principle. I long time ago I was in the library and copied an article from the American Journal of Physics on this very topic. I posted the abstract since I thought the information in the abstract was useful. My next step was to ask the OP if he would like me to e-mail him the article. I wanted to dicuss this with the moderators first to make sure that me offering to do that would be a violation of forum policy. For example; since I'm posting a lot more online nowadays since I'm pretty much homebound I want to make dead sure that I'm following the forum rules to the letter. When I'm unsure I thought I'd ask. In retrospect I think that my quetion mayhave been better sent to a moderator using the PM system.

We can't do much about what you do outside of the forum, we can enforce only that you follow forum rules on this site - so as long as your quotes are not too long and you reference the original source, that's OK with us. I am not sure about details when you send the copy to someone else. I got copies of some papers this way from people I know, so I guess they treated it as a "fair use". Perhaps ask in the library?

Is it against the rules to ask a person in open forum if they'd like me to e-mail them the article? I as thinking of creating a website to faccilitate my online discussions. One thing I could do is to upload an article to my website and then post a link to the article. Would if violate the forum rules to post a link to the article? Thanks.

 

[jtbell]

Is it against the rules to ask a person in open forum if they'd like me to e-mail them the article? I as thinking of creating a website to faccilitate my online discussions. One thing I could do is to upload an article to my website and then post a link to the article. Would if violate the forum rules to post a link to the article? Thanks.

It is against the forum rules to use the forum's facilities (posting or PM) to offer to send unauthorized copies via e-mail, or to advertise their presence on some other site.

 

[LudusRex]

Thank you for your inquiry about the policy on sharing journal articles via email and forums. I understand the importance of access to scholarly articles in furthering research and knowledge in our fields. However, it is important to adhere to copyright laws and respect the intellectual property of authors and publishers.

In most cases, sharing the abstract or a quote from an article is permissible under fair use guidelines. However, photocopying or scanning a full journal article and sending it to someone else may be considered copyright infringement without proper permission from the copyright holder.

Many publishers have specific policies in place for sharing articles, such as providing a link to the article or obtaining a license for distribution. It is important to check the copyright policies of the specific journal and publisher before sharing any articles.

Alternatively, there are open access journals and repositories that allow for free distribution of articles, making it easier to share without infringing on copyright laws. Additionally, many academic institutions have agreements with publishers that allow for limited sharing of articles within their community.

In summary, while sharing knowledge and information is important, it is crucial to do so in a legal and ethical manner. I recommend researching the copyright policies of the specific journal and publisher before sharing any articles, or utilizing open access resources for easier and legal sharing. Thank you for considering the implications of copyright in your inquiry.