Numly.com . the new standard in copyrights?

[JLSeagull]

Here's the short para from homepage of Numly.com that says it all:

Numly.com assigns Numly Numbers (Electronic Serial Numbers / ESNs) for all things digital. These unique identifiers provide digital rights management capabilities as well as third-party, non-repudiation measures for proof of copyright via real-time verifications. Numly Numbers are simple and quick to generate. They act as an electronic timestamp for copyright purposes. They can also be used to digitally certify email. They also allow you to track content viewership, monitor ratings, and can be used as permalinks.

While this *is* a cool idea, is it safe using this? What are the chances of this becoming a M$ in rights management?

[stapel]

I don't see how this does anything other than provide documentation of when a user got a "numly number" for a given file. It doesn't nothing to establish priority, since a plagiariser might register his copy of your work before you do.

And I don't know if a revision or other "derivative work" would get a new ESN (Electronic Serial Number). If so (and I couldn't find any reference to this issue on the Numly site), your edited (corrected? updated? improved?) work would appear, according to the "numly number", to be a violation of the plagiariser's copy, since his number would be earlier.

On the other hand, Plagiarism Today [plagiarismtoday.com] seems to have a very positive opinion of this tool. On the other hand (where'd that third hand come from?), that author appears to be speaking within the context of blogging, and I don't know how often edits and rewrites are a part of that milieu.

Eliz.

[Pfui]

Quick Opinion:

If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- and U.S. (and international) Copyright Law ain't broke.

Nit-Pick Aside:

My law school Legal Writing prof pounded into us the importance of triple-checking our work because errors in the easy stuff, like spelling, cast long shadows on the accuracy of the tricky stuff...

The U.S.-based Numly site is rife with spelling and grammatical errors.

[stapel]

Pfui said: If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- and U.S. (and international) Copyright Law ain't broke.

Legally, I quite agree. Once you're in court, the copyright laws are solid protection. However--

Wouldn't it be better never to reach court in the first place? I would not view Numly as providing "legal" protection, but having a barcode on each page would, I think, discourage some of the scrapers.

It's kind of like having the "Copyscape" notice on your pages. You still have to plug your URLs into the Copyscape interface, and you still have to chase down any offenders that you find, but the "Copyscape" logo puts folks on notice that, yes indeedy, you's gonna be lookin' for them dirty dogs!

And that does seem to slow them down. A lot.

Pfui said: The U.S.-based Numly site is rife with spelling and grammatical errors.

Ouch! But you're right....

Eliz.