Truffles, Turtles & Tunes Copyright Statement

Copyright laws may be complicated, but the basic underlying concept is pretty simple: original material created in some tangible form is protected and can’t be copied by others who would claim credit for it. This is an international concept dating back to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works in 1886. The United States and most other nations subscribe to this treaty. The US also maintains its own copyright laws which reiterate the fact that all material is protected automatically, whether it's registered with the US Copyright Office or not. Material is protected upon creation, whether or not a copyright notation containing the familiar © is displayed. Generally speaking, copyright protection is in effect for 50 years beyond the life of the author.

As I explored the area of copyright as it relates to the internet, I noticed that many sites make specific statements about copyright. In trying to think through these issues, I've jotted down my own intentions, principles of use, and terms and conditions for redistribution of material from my blog. Please contact me via the instructions below if you have any questions.

Statement of Intent

• My blog is a means of creative expression.
• The goal of my blog is to publish material that's informational, educational, hopefully somewhat entertaining.
• My blog is definitely a not-for-profit endeavor. I don't gain any monetary benefit from any of my posts. Even when I'm writing about my own musical activities, I am reporting, interpreting, or reflecting upon my performances, not advertising them. (And in most cases, I wouldn't gain any profit even if I were advertising!)

Principles of Use

1. Posts that were derived in any way from the writing of others have been footnoted or referenced with links in the body of the post. 
2. I do not use direct links or commit bandwidth theft.
3. Any photographs without a credit are my photos. Please do not use them without my permission.
4. Photographs or graphic images created by others and used with permission are identified.
5. In cases where I have attempted to get permission but the owner could not be located or did not respond, I have given appropriate credit. (If I have used your image without obtaining permission, please contact me.)
6. In informational or educational posts where I've used a copyrighted image belonging to an educational institution or organization, I have displayed their copyright information.
7. On posts about books, I have used low-resolution images of book covers. I believe this constitutes "fair use" under US copyright laws for the following reasons:

• The book cover is used to identify the book, a function for which no free-use image is available or can be substituted.
• The cover of the media is not the actual content specifically being sold by the publisher of the media, and therefore the commercial impact of this distribution is minimal or nonexistent.
• The cover image is uploaded at a low enough resolution that it cannot be effectively used to create counterfeit printed copies, nor does it compete with other official printed materials (if any) by the publisher that use this same image.

Terms and Conditions of Redistribution

1. You may use original material including pictures from this site for non-commercial and/or educational purposes if you obtain permission and give me the appropriate credit. I consider “appropriate credit” to consist of the following:
   
   Internet use – provide my full name and insert a link to the individual blog post you’re referencing or which incorporated the picture you are using. For example, beneath a picture that you are using, include this text: Photo courtesy of Linda Mason Hood, used with permission. Then, please insert a hyperlink to the post on my blog where the picture appears.
   
   Written material – provide a footnote which contains my full name, the post title and post date, as well as the URL of the post you’re referencing. Please note: The correct way to link to a single blog post is to click on the title of the post, then copy the resulting URL.


2. You may not use material of others that I have incorporated into my posts. I have their permission, but it does not extend second-hand to you. Feel free to contact me if you would like to ask their permission.
3. You may not use material from this site for commercial use unless you contact me by email and get my permission first.

To Contact Me...
Please email me at linhood46 AT gmail.com (replace the word AT with @).

Helpful Links
If you'd like to read more about copyright principles and use of graphics on the internet, here are some websites that offer straightforward and understandable information.
Law/copyright/FAQ section of Internet FAQ Archives
What is Copyright?
R.I.G.H.T.S.
Copyright Basics section of the US Copyright Office


© 2008, Linda Mason Hood
updated December 18, 2011