Policy about using FT posts?
 

Hi. In the last few weeks, I have seen a number of newspaper articles that directly quote FlyerTalk posts. The articles give attribution to FlyerTalk and to the user who made the post. Here are 2 examples from the New York Times.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/07/13...flierfees.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/business/17road.html

Are we allowed to use posts and content from FlyerTalk as long as we credit the source?

I would like to hear thinking on this subject - both from TalkBoard and other members.

Thank you.

Speaking only from the perspective of someone that has taken a couple of college english courses (and someone you believe to be Glenn Tilton:p), I've always been taught that if you give credit to the original source you're good to go.... or not?

This gets into copyright law and the fair use doctrine. I think that if FT wants to have any policy at all it needs to contact a lawyer about what restrictions it can legally impose, if any, and what rights individual posters have if any. I also don't recall if there were any terms and conditions when I signed up for an account. It may not be a matter of discussion so much as a definition of what the law is.

I'm positive that management has already done so.

This really is not a TalkBoard topic. Rather, it's a legal question to direct to the management and owners of this website.

(That's my opinion, not the official TalkBoard position. Not that one necessarily exists on this matter. ;) )

I agree with everything that Spiff says above! :)

This TOS link would provide some information on copyright issues:
http://www.flyertalk.com/help/rules.php#q73

Hi Spiff. What's the best way to get somebody from management and owners to chime in on this question?

I know you asked Spiff, but my suggestion would be to post in the Only Randy Petersen forum.

As I was reading this, that is where I thought this should be.... SO, off it goes... :)

Also note that FT provides RSS feeds. If this is the standard vBulletin implementation, that means that continuous feeds of each & every forum plus FT as a whole are available to anyone, e.g. BoardReader.com. There really no telling where copies of FT posts will end up.