[LINK] ICT Predictions 2009 - little OT (gov't reports example)

[Tom Worthington]

At 10:47 AM 19/01/2009, Anthony Hornby wrote:
>Hi Tom,
>
>... I think we are talking at cross-purposes, I didn't mean they had 
>to be in print. I meant they had to supply "a copy" ...

Providing the URL of the document on the web should meet the 
requirement to "supply" a copy. A High Court judgment would seem to 
support the idea: "Muin v Refugee Review Tribunal" (8 August 2002, 
S36/1999) 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/high_ct/2002/30.html>. My 
interpretation is that you can "give" someone a document by providing 
them access to an online system, as long as you provide them with an 
identifier for that specific document and don't make them have to 
hunt through "...a mass of undifferentiated material in a database of 
constantly changing content ...".

>... We would much prefer ... have the rights to re-use accompanying 
>the item (creative commons) so we can archive locally those we think 
>have particular relevance to our clients as well. ...

As far as I can see the Commonwealth Government is not going to 
object to you keeping a copy of a government report. They just don't 
want you to change it, or sell copies.

I routinely copy the executive summaries from government reports and 
post them to my Blog (which has ads on it). I used to worry that 
someone from the government would object about this, but all I get 
are thanks, and requests for me to blog their government reports.



Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                      http://www.tomw.net.au/
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University