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permaculture - [permaculture] Re: [PermacultureUK] - NOT SEEING THE WOOD FROM THE TREES

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  • From: Toby Hemenway <hemenway@jeffnet.org>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Re: [PermacultureUK] - NOT SEEING THE WOOD FROM THE TREES
  • Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 10:14:51 -0800

Mark Fisher wrote:

>(Toby says he was threatened with a copyright suit over
>the use of Permaculture in his book title)

For the record (and I apologize to those who've heard this), I should point
out that Mollison did not object to my use of the word "permaculture" in my
book; his letters to me noted that as a PDC graduate (from his course) I was
entitled to use the word. He objected to what he called "paraphrasing" of
passages of his works: my descriptions of patterns, guilds, keyhole beds,
etc. I had not asked for permission to use these ideas, and he felt I needed
to, hence the threats.

Copyright law states otherwise, though: an author cannot prevent anyone from
writing about any "idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation,
concept, principle, or discovery," regardless of who originated it or how
much work it took to derive it. The US Supreme Court says that copyright law
exists not to reward authors, but primarily to promote the spread of ideas.

Bill's misinterpretation of copyright law does not lessen my immense respect
for the man and his accomplishments. However, it was a pain in the butt.

Toby




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