newby question: opensource drawings and permission

[+terratin]

Hello,

 

a week or so ago I stumbled upon a wonderful location for an earthcache. I know I need the landowners ok for this. In this case it's on cummunity ground. Well, might be difficult to explain to them as land that does not belong to a person belongs to everyone basically.

 

a) How do you solve that problem when getting the ok for placing an earthcache in such countries?

 

the earthcache website is currently offline it seems but I recall reading there that one needs written permission. Is email sufficient or do I need a written and sealed letter?

 

c) I'm not particularly good with drawing. I noticed that many earthcaches make use of professional drawings to clarify the topic. It's probably copyright infringement, right? Is there a source for opensource geolscience art?

 

Thanks a lot,

 

TT

Edited April 25, 2009 by terratin

[+TerryDad2]

The issue of community land ownership has come up in the forums before and since people from a variety of countries are contacted regarding EarthCache placement, I think the concept will be understood. Just place community/public access in the land owners and explain in the notes to reviewers.

 

E-mail and even verbal phone approval is ok just have the person's name and contact info (e-mail or phone).

 

I use images from a variety of on-line sources that I find. So long as the site does not say don't use the images, I use them with proper citation at the end of the writeup. USGS and NPS images are public domain since they are government agencies. Still reference the work. I have even had some help from the EarthCache community in developing drawings specific for an EarthCache.

[Wintertime]

I use images from a variety of on-line sources that I find. So long as the site does not say don't use the images, I use them with proper citation at the end of the writeup.

Just because someone has been negligent about putting a copyright notice on their website, if they took the photos or drew the illustrations, they hold the copyright to those images. (At least in the U.S.; other countries' laws may be somewhat different, although there are international conventions that agree on the basics.) Giving credit to the site/person from whom you took the image does not qualify as getting their permission to use the image.

 

As you noted, materials from U.S. government agencies are okay to use. Materials from, say, a state university are usually the intellectual property of that institution, and thus require permission to use just as you'd need from a private individual or a company.

 

Patty

[+terratin]

I use images from a variety of on-line sources that I find. So long as the site does not say don't use the images, I use them with proper citation at the end of the writeup.

Just because someone has been negligent about putting a copyright notice on their website, if they took the photos or drew the illustrations, they hold the copyright to those images. (At least in the U.S.; other countries' laws may be somewhat different, although there are international conventions that agree on the basics.) Giving credit to the site/person from whom you took the image does not qualify as getting their permission to use the image.

 

As you noted, materials from U.S. government agencies are okay to use. Materials from, say, a state university are usually the intellectual property of that institution, and thus require permission to use just as you'd need from a private individual or a company.

 

Patty

 

That's how I see it as well, and that's, to my best knowledge, how it's handlered in Europe. To look at governmental websites however is a good idea.

 

Can't wait for the next weekend to continue with this And I hope I've found a local egological map until then

[+geoaware]

I am VERY excited that we are going to have a submission for an EarthCache in Norway! I was with the developer when she created the EarthCache at the university in Oslo......and we both hoped it might encourage others in Norway to get involved.

 

So Tusen Takk for making the effort!

 

Just make sure you follow the guidelines on the website.

 

Geoaware

EarthCache Approver team

[+terratin]

I am VERY excited that we are going to have a submission for an EarthCache in Norway! I was with the developer when she created the EarthCache at the university in Oslo......and we both hoped it might encourage others in Norway to get involved.

 

So Tusen Takk for making the effort!

 

Just make sure you follow the guidelines on the website.

 

Geoaware

EarthCache Approver team

 

Thanks

I have a couple of ideas, though also discarded a few as I'm simply not an igneous or metamorphic rocks specialist and wasn't quite sure myself what I was actually looking at Other ideas turned out to be a bit too vague and degraded for an EarthCache, like the Karmoy Ophiolite. Don't be disappointed when I start out with something simple. There's still a lot of good stuff around. I also have a couple of ideas for EarthCaches in Denmark and Greece. Just need to get there again for collecting data

 

We did the Oslo Uni cache just last week, btw. It was great to walk around a university again.