Do the TOS rules about copyright infringement still apply?

[MichMan]

Respect copyrights
Excerpts from copyrighted sources must be no more than four paragraphs and include a link to the source. See our DMCA Copyright Policy for more information

It seems pretty clear, yet I constantly see posts that contain five, six, or seven paragraphs that are never taken down.

[mobeau69]

1. Why do you worry about it?

Merry Christmas

[MichMan]

4. Just wanting clarification in case I want to post one that is longer than four paragraphs

I'm not someone who flaunts the rules

[Fiendish Thingy]

2. DU has been sued for infringement in the past

That rule is there for a reason.

[MichMan]

5. It doesn't seem to be enforced

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Not consistently anyway. Nt

[hlthe2b]

3. The layout for so many articles now include paragraphs consisting of a single sentence...

Set to emphasize a single point, I suppose, but many of us were taught that a paragraph is typically 3 to 5 sentences. For that reason, I see many who collapse sentences into a single paragraph, rather than post a nonsensical short blurb that excludes the context. Doing so, while still limiting what is posted to 3-4 paragraphs such as this is still okay, I think.

That said, i really wish posters WOULD include excerpts. The single link (only) posts are really annoying.

[TexasTowelie]

6. Send an alert.

There is an option on the list to choose copyright infringement.

While I try to observe the four paragraph limit and snip excerpts, I will rarely include a fifth paragraph if it provides vital information such that the reader would feel compelled to click the link. Therefore, it becomes a trade-off of recognizing copyright infringement vs. the general courtesy of providing a summary without directing the members offsite.

However, I have observed threads that continue past the four paragraph limit and have sometimes included completed works posted. Please know that there are other members that are concerned about intellectual property rights.

[MichMan]

8. I've sent several and nothing ever happens, which is why I asked the question

[highplainsdem]

9. Probably best to send DU mail first to give them a chance to shorten the excerpt.

Re going to a 5th paragraph - I'll usually summarize it instead, below the excerpt.

Or I might snip an earlier paragraph and summarize that very briefly:

-snipping a paragraph about ____ to get to the quote from ______-

That sort of thing is especially useful when info identifying the source of an important quote is tucked in with a paragraph that isn't very important otherwise.