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This site previously carried
the English Carpet Bowls Association® 'Rules For Playing
Carpet Bowls'©. However following a letter received on 18th
July 2000 from the ECBA® these rules have been deleted.
The letter stated the following:
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"Having made enquiries
regarding the laws of copyright, it appears you have indeed infringed
these laws.
It is appreciated that you
are a member of a club affiliated to the Suffolk CCBA, Suffolk
being of course a member of the ECBA, but this does not give
you personally the right to publish in any form the ECBA Rules
for Playing Carpet Bowls without receiving prior consent from
the association.
Following a very lengthy
debate it was decided that I should write to you and request
that you remove the Rules for Playing Carpet Bowls from your
'WebSite' CarpetBowls.co.uk." |
Prior to receiving this letter
I was completely unaware that there was any problem or indeed
that there was any debate. Of course all they needed to do was
to make a polite, informal request and I would have removed the
rules immediately, an action which might even have left some
room for negotiation. Instead of which they decided to leap straight
in with a threat of legal action. Quite why they decided to do
so and just what it is that they have against me I can only guess.
However one might speculate that their cavalier attitude might
just be indicative of some resentment harboured against me because
of the internet domain names which I own.
It should go without saying
that the only point of this site is to promote the game of Carpet
Bowls and the only reason for including the rules was to provide
a point of reference on the web, something which the ECBA®
themselves have singularly failed to do. At no time did I claim
the rules to be my own and furthermore the ECBA® were properly
acknowledged.
Obviously I never imagined
for one moment that I was going to cause such offence, particularly
since I remain unaware of any copyright warnings on ECBA®
literature, but since I appear to have been given no other option,
I have complied with their demand.
p_daniels@yahoo.com
July 2000 |