Copyright violation?

[geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA]

 Misti Tucker wondered if someone using your text on their
 web site is a copyright infringement. Yes and no...

 A link to your text on your own site certainly isn't an
 infringement. Quoting a small portion of a much larger text
 _probably_ isn't (the doctrine of "fair use" permits
 relatively extensive quotes). However, if the file is
 physically present on someone else's server, then this is
 definitely a copyright violation. If it appears without an
 attribution (i.e., "written by Misti") or with someone
 else's name attached, it's also plagiarism. If the errors
 make you look like a fool or damage your reputation,
 there's even the possibility you're dealing with defamation
 of character or a related legal issue.

 What can you do about it? Start off by being polite and
 flattered: It's almost always nice when someone wants to
 quote you! But do ask the person to fix the errors. If you
 don't like the site (e.g., it's a neo-Nazi home page), you
 could certainly insist that they remove the text. If they
 refuse to comply with your requests, you can certainly call
 in the lawyers, but most times, that's overkill. I'd talk
 to the service provider that hosts the site (or, for a
 company web page, to the company itself) before I'd try
 legal suasion.

 --Geoff Hart     @8^{)}     geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
 Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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