My understanding of copyright law is rather limited. I have done my best to act within the bounds of the law as I understand it as I have created this site, and I expect the same level of behavior of visitors to this site. The spirit of copyright, to the best of my knowlege, is intended to insure that artists receive credit and compensation for their work.
For this reason, folk ballads cannot be copyrighted as they are not the work of any one person or persons, but belong to a larger culture context. Therefore, the version of Tam Lin I have on this site are not copyrighted and may be posted or copied freely. The same is true of the sheet music to the ballads, as long as the tunes are traditional ones not associated with a specific performer. These items are in the public domain, and while I may have put some effort into gathering, presenting, and curating them, I do not own them or hold copyright over them in any way.
However...
Copyright becomes more restricive when the work, be it written words, artwork, or music, is the product of the efforts of a particular person or group of people. I've tried to avoid using any materials on this site that might violate copyright law, and where I have used original works, I've done so with the permission of the creator and provided attribution.
The viewer will note that while I do have a section of this website concerned with information regarding the musical aspects of Tam Lin, it does not include any sound clips from recordings of Tam Lin. While I have transcribed the lyrics to several versions of Tam Lin from CD, I have not included the actual recordings themselves for reasons of copyright law. The lyrics to the ballad may fall into the catagory of folk music, the actual recordings, even if of a traditional tune for the ballad, represents the work of a specific author or group, and therefore is protected by copyright law. The only way that this site will ever include sound clips, be it a .wav or .midi or mp3 file, is if the artist who created the file gave me specific permission to include it on the website (anyone out there who wants to do so is encouraged to contact me). This same caution extends to all works of art concerning Tam Lin, or short stories based upon it. While many of these areas of creative endeavor fall outside of the intended scope of this website, copyright law is another factor I have considered in my decisions to include or omit material in my webpages. In order to make these resources available to viewers of my webpages, I have included links and attribution where applicable, and only where I felt the material in question would both be of interest and of legal copyright status. I generally make the best effort to include proper attribution and thanks when providing a link to another website, to make it clear that the work referenced is not my own and that the audience has another party to thank (or blame) for the work. I don't want to break copyright law on my site, and I don't want to encourage others to do so either.
With this in mind, I require that visitors to this website keep copyright in mind when visiting my pages. I finance this website myself, and all of the work done in presenting it, from the HTML coding to images, is my own. Many of the versions of Tam Lin were acquired after hours of library searches, or transcribed from CDs I purchased. Most of the text has undergone many revisions, and some of the webpages have taken months, if not years, of work to reach their current state. While most of the material on this site is not covered under copyright for the reasons stated above, I request that viewers be aware of the amount of it that IS covered as it represents the fruit of my efforts. If you have found information at this site that is of use to you, or merely found it a handy compliation of works without regard to the content I have added myself, I ask that you please cite my website as the source should you choose to use the information elsewhere. Do not use my words without my permission, or take my graphics without my permission. The site may be about a subject that falls within the scope of traditional and public ownership, but that does not mean that the work I have put in to it belongs to the public as well.
The only reward I get for this site is recognition of my work, so do not steal it. Use of my words on other websites is a violation of copyright. If you respect my work, respect the laws that protect it from being used by others without permission.
Basically, if you come here and take my work without permission, you are breaking the law.
I'm not saying that what you find on this website must not be used elsewhere. If you ask, and give me an idea of the context, I'll give your request honest consideration. I'm usually thrilled that someone else has a shared interest, and happy to let you use my work if it will direct folks here as well. You MUST, however, ask first. You don't have to ask to link to my website, your website is entirely your own business. If you want me to link to yours or wish to inform me of another site that would be of interest, please feel free to e-mail me on that subject.
I'm not claiming that my website is perfect, I know that it is riddled with errors. I don't believe it is a work of art either, as I know that most of the true creativity on it is that whichI have borrowed from other sources. All that I ask is that you act within the bounds of the law regarding the work on this website. I hope you enjoy your visit, and find some of the content herein of use to inform or entertain you.
I don't intend this to come across as unfriendly or unwelcoming. I have, however, recently had sections of my website appear at other locations without permission or attribution. The authors of these websites have generally removed the offending materials upon request, but have expressed neither remorse nor basic awareness of copyright law in their responses (they weren't very smart people, and were offended that I used "big words" on them). While some folks who have lifted my work in the past claimed that it was meant as a compliment upon my website, to me it was a simple case of theft. I was (and am) hurt and offended to see that someone could so casually steal my work without any thought as to how it would affect me. This website has been a labour of love, and I am proud of what I have accomplished, little as it is. Having that taken away from me is an insult of great proportions. If you like what I've done here, it shows a lack of respect, creativity, or insight to take that work for your own use without first obtaining my consent.
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© 1997-2005 by Abigail Acland unless otherwise noted.