Also don't forget that versions of the Dewey Decimal System published in 1925 and earlier are are now in the public domain, for example https://archive.org/details/deweydecimal11dewe (enjoy the spelling!)
Eric > On Apr 23, 2021, at 1:37 PM, Karen Coyle <[email protected]> wrote: > > There are three (at least!) different issues: > 1. use of DDC to classify your library > 2. use of the name "Dewey" for the classification without giving the > trademark. That was the issue for the Library Hotel [1] and probably for the > issue below. OCLC has trademarked the word "Dewey" [2] in relation to the > classification as well as "Dewey Decimal Classification".[3] > 3. the copyrighted text of the DDC, owned by OCLC > > Note that the DDC text was copyrighted from the first edition, and for much > of its life the editions were copyrighted by Forest Press. Those rights were > most likely all transferred to OCLC. > > kc > [1] > http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/2/OCC/2010/05/07/H1273247357646/viewer/file581.htm > [2] https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:akl2xm.2.37 > [3] https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:akl2xm.2.39 > > > On 4/14/21 7:49 AM, Guy Dobson wrote: >> Approx 20 years ago I put together a website in which I cataloged websites >> and classified them via both DDC and LC. If you want to browse books about >> music just go to the 780s so why not organize URLs so that you can do the >> same with them? I called it Surf with Dewey and got a gig talking about it >> at PLA. I got a call from a woman at Forest Press informing me that I was >> violating their copyright because my website listed Dewey numbers, along >> with their descriptions, beyond the decimal point. Note that if you look >> DDC up in Wikipedia it doesn't describe any numbers beyond the decimal >> point. I was also told that I could not map Dewey to LC. I had to remove >> the descriptions (no big deal: the titles of the websites provided a good >> substitute) and was told that I had to put the copyright symbol next to the >> word "Dewey" in my website's title and include a statement re the fact that >> Forest Press owns the DDC. I changed the name of the website to Surf with >> BCCLS. >> *Guy Dobson* >> Director of Technical Services & Systems Librarian >> Drew University Library >> <http://www.drew.edu/library?utm_source=FIL_Email_Footer&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FIL%2BEmail%2BFooter> >> 36 Madison Ave, Madison, NJ 07940 >> (973) 408-3207 >> On Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 10:29 AM Kyle Banerjee <[email protected]> >> wrote: >>> A couple quick thoughts: >>> >>> - DDC isn't a structure in the same way that those other things are. DDC >>> defines a conceptual universe (portions of which are regularly >>> redefined) >>> as well as ways of navigating it. In this sense, the navigation has >>> more in >>> common with menuing and the content has more in common with something >>> like >>> an index or thesaurus >>> - DDC is owned by a giant library cooperative, so it makes more sense >>> for the libraries to simply make it publicly available than to look for >>> legal/technical loopholes to do the same. However, I've never been able >>> to >>> tell that stuff libraries own (particularly tools) is any more more open >>> than stuff they don't. >>> - DDC doesn't exist as a format per se, certainly not MARC which is >>> simply a container developed to ship info around on tape more than a >>> half >>> century ago. >>> >>> kyle >>> >>> On Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 12:07 AM Jakob Voß <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Hi, >>>> >>>> A colleauge of mine just pointed me to a detail of the court decision in >>>> the case Google vs. Oracle. The Suppreme Court of the United States >>>> ruled that reimplementation of Java API is no copyright violation but >>>> allowed at least under fair use: >>>> >>>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_LLC_v._Oracle_America,_Inc. >>>> >>>> The opinion of the Court contains a remarkable section on page 6: >>>> >>>> https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/18-956_d18f.pdf >>>> >>>> "The second, less obvious, function is to reflect the way in >>>> which Java’s creators have divided the potential world of >>>> different tasks into an actual world, i.e., precisely which set >>>> of potentially millions of different tasks we want to have >>>> our Java-based computer systems perform and how we >>>> want those tasks arranged and grouped. In this sense, the >>>> declaring code performs an organizational function. It determines the >>>> structure of the task library that Java’s creators have decided to >>>> build. To understand this organizational system, think of the Dewey >>>> Decimal System that categorizes books into an accessible system or a >>>> travel guide that arranges a city’s attractions into different >>> categories" >>>> >>>> Following this argument the Dewey Decimal System can be used as free as >>>> the Java API. I think that we (library developers) already assumed for >>>> specification of data formats, ontologies and data models but it also >>>> applies to other kinds of knowledge organization systems (classification >>>> schemes, thesauri, gazetteers...) including DDC. By the way if you know >>>> systems not covered in BARTOC.org yet, please let the editors know so we >>>> will add them! >>>> >>>> I doubt that we can share the raw MARC data of DDC with all of its >>>> details, but the class hierarchy, notations and headings (without >>>> limitation of depth!) can be used freely as far as I understand the >>>> court. Or am I missing something? >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> Jakob >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Jakob Voß <[email protected]> >>>> Verbundzentrale des GBV (VZG) / Common Library Network >>>> Platz der Goettinger Sieben 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany >>>> +49 (0)551 39-31031, http://www.gbv.de/ >>>> >>> > > -- > Karen Coyle > [email protected] http://kcoyle.net > m: +1-510-435-8234 > skype: kcoylenet/+1-510-984-3600
