Intellectual Property Crap

(All relevant sections have been shamelessly swiped from Jim Wright's Stonekettle Station's "Sharing, Reposting, and Linking to Stonekettle Station" Page. He phrased it well and has graciously allowed me to use his words.)

(Some names, titles, terminology, and wording have been changed to avoid confusion with Recursive Topics are Recursive and Stonekettle Station. My additions will appear in parenthesis in this format.)

Thinking about sharing my stuff with others? Here’s the legal part:

Everything I write is my intellectual property, subject to protection under US and International Copyright Law. 
If you want to share my stuff with others, the following rules apply:

1. Online Reposting: 

If you want to repost something that I wrote in its entirety on your blog, website, forum or any other online medium, you need to ask my permission first.

Don’t post it, and then ask. Ask first. 

Here’s how you do it, email me at the address posted on Recursive Topics Are Recursive’s main page, provide me with a link to your website so that I may look at it as part of the decision making process. I want to know where my material is going and in what context it will be published.

If I give you permission to repost my material on your site, unless I specifically state otherwise the following guidelines apply:

• The article will be reposted verbatim. No modifications, no additions, deletions, or edits. Period 
• I get the byline. My name and a link to Recursive Topics will be clearly included at the top of the article 
• If you make money off of my article, then I make money off of my article. The compensation and payment schedule is to be agreed upon prior to publication 

If you repost my material without my express permission or without giving me credit, then you are stealing from me and I will take the appropriate legal action to get my property back along with as much of your money as the courts will allow. 

If you alter my material in such a manner that it appears to support political, intellectual, social, commercial, or religious positions that I did not intend or endorse, I’ll sue your ass into the poor house, so don’t do it. 

2. Linking and sharing 

You're welcome to share my stuff via email or on social media sites, such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and so on. If you want to point people at a post on Recursive Topics Are Recursive (and thanks for that by the way), the standard rules of Common Usage apply

• You don't need my permission to post a link 
• You may post a couple of lines from the article, or even a short paragraph, verbatim 
• You must include a link or the URL to the rest of the article at Recursive Topics Are Recursive 

There are a number of buttons for sharing with social media sites located on bottom of each article. I add or remove other buttons, such as a Facebook “like” badge, on the articles as social media systems evolve. These are the easiest ways to share Recursive Topics Are Recursive posts without running afoul of my huge pointy-toothed wolverine-like legal department.

3. Quoting me in your own articles, blog posts, and social commentary:

Again, the basic rules of Common Usage apply:

• You don’t need my permission to quote me 
• Quotes should be short, no more than a paragraph 
• You must quote me verbatim. In context would be nice too, just saying. 
• Proper attribution is required, though you don’t actually have to include a link to Recursive Topics Are Recursive. 

4. Inclusion in Print or eBook Media:

Contact me, we’ll talk about it. Have your checkbook ready.

5. Everything else:

The basic rule of military life is this: if unsure, salute. Same thing here, if you’re unsure of how I’d feel about use of my material, then contact me, we’ll discuss it. 

6. Your Stuff:

I don't do guest bloggers on Recursive Topics Are Recursive  Which is not to say that I can't conceive of some unusual circumstance where I might publish articles written by somebody other than me on the blog in the future. You can ask, but I'll likely say "no thanks." Prepare yourself accordingly.

If you comment on Recursive Topics Are Recursive,  the comment becomes mine and may get included in future posts or books or other projects or become the object of ridicule. So, you know, follow the rules. One other thing, don't include somebody else's propriety content in you comments without proper attribution.

I generally do not engage in reciprocal linking. If you link to my site, don't expect me to link back in return or provide an endorsement or sing your praises. (If I like your work, I'll likely link to you, but don't expect an automatic reach-around.)

And finally:

Here’s my one immutable rule: if you’re making money off my stuff, then you damned well owe me a piece of the pie. If you don’t like my attitude about this, then go write your own stuff, simple as that. Everything else is negotiable.