Citing Google Maps
The rules for attribution Google Maps are truly wonderful resources and many genealogists (and others!) use them all the time — in articles, on websites, in presentations and more. Which, The Legal Genealogist hastens to add, is (a) perfectly legal as long as...Ancestry updates its terms
No major changes Ancestry has updated its terms and conditions to revise certain privacy provisions. Though as always The Legal Genealogist thinks everyone should read all terms and conditions carefully, and particularly where — as here — terms and...Revisiting the rules
The genealogy book and Ancestry’s terms of use Reader Stan C. is about to finish an impressive piece of work… and is plagued with a real concern. “I am in the final stages of research on a large genealogy book I am publishing,” he wrote. “Is it legal to...About that copyright notice
Newspapers.com Reader Bruce Massof couldn’t understand it. He’s a user of the Newspapers.com website and has printed or downloaded articles from newspapers published before 1923. He knows darned good and well that 1923 is a key year in U.S. copyright law:...Fair use and terms of use
A study in contrasts It’s a great question, from reader Dana J.: Does contract law override “fair use”? Can a website’s terms of use prohibit users from using the copyright-protected works under fair use? It seems that copyright’s fair use provision might be one...Thank you, LOC!
A new free-to-use page at the Library of Congress It isn’t possible to overstate the value of the Library of Congress to the genealogical researcher. Time and time and time again, The Legal Genealogist has pointed out something that’s available at the...The fix is in
Ancestry fixes TOS error Quietly and without fanfare, in its rollout of new and updated terms of service, Ancestry killed the professional researcher. It didn’t mean to. It was a mistake. So… quietly and without fanfare … in an update of even newer...Ancestry updates terms of services
New consolidated rules So…. everybody logged in to Ancestry yesterday, right? Or AncestryDNA. Or Newspapers.com. Or Fold3.com. And there was that notice right up at the top: “Note: Your privacy is our priority. See how we have updated our Privacy Statement and...Changing the rules
Can companies change their terms of use? Reader Cheryl Brownstein isn’t happy about changes in the terms of use of genealogy websites — AncestryDNA, in particular — that occur long after a user begins using the website. “Can the company simply change...Subscribe by Email
