Information in my books doesn’t belong to me (or anyone else). Information as such CAN’T be copyrighted—no one can announce a fact and thereby OWN that fact. Indeed 99% of the information in The Story of B comes from other sources—I didn’t originate it. Some of the information (in the section you mention, for example) represents estimates, which, strictly speaking, isn’t information at all. But you don’t need anyone’s permission to say, “So and so estimates such and such to be thus and so.” If you want to reproduce the FORM in which I present the information, word for word, sentence for sentence, that’s a different matter—that’s what’s copyrighted, the words in a particular order. Reproducing that particular order of those particular words, would be copyright infringement – so long as you avoid that, I have only the following requests (most of which you have already noted):
1. You do not take statements out of context
2. You link to the Ishmael.org website
3. You do not credit or blame me for saying or writing things I didn’t say or write — in other words, reference specific passages wherever possible — this will help minimize unfounded speculations.
ID: 136
UPDATE: June 17, 1998
