web rights..public dom.

Wendy, jokes are a form of folklore - they've existed in millions of genres, situations, told by numerous people and evolved throughout the year. Unless you know one hundred percent where that joke originated from (the specific person) then you're fine. Jokes from the web, anything from a joke collection page or similar, are up for grabs.

I'd just like to add, don't try to pass it off as your own. Anything not of your own creation should be attibuted in some way, even if it's "I got this in an email" or "I tripped over this on the net."

Eraser is right. If you must take for the Internet, etc. say so. Don't pretend that it's you own material -- that would be plagiarism, even if it's public domain.

Yes, you must give credit if you can, or acknowledge where you found the information.

I wrote a column (not a joke, I know, but indulge me my example) that appeared all over the internet within days of being published. I never authorized this use, and rarely has my name ever been attached to it. It's still out there and periodically, I go out and try to get wayward websites to give me credit for my work. *sigh* My point is, don't assume that the author of the joke ever intended or authorized it to be published on the Internet.

When in doubt, consider how you would feel if it was work you had penned that others were spreading around without your consent.


Barb

I put it this way.

On one website I posted the funniest jokes that I have ever heard and some were actually not jokes but the things that were said in the ER you would be surprised at the jokes nurses and doctors get from actual cases. But I listened the funniest as having read them somewhere and gave them my fickle finger award for it. But a lot of times I come up with my own stuff. Like this one that I sent to a greeting card company.

Want to say no to Opec? Eat more beans and fill up on gas. With the prices they say it will get that is not a half bad idea.

I would be very cautious about using internet forwards or considering them "out there" in the public domain.

For about nine months, I edited a local newsletter for a group I belong to. This was mostly a "by the members for the members" thing. In the beginning of my editorial reign, one individual often forwarded me internet/e-mail "jokes" for inclusion in the newsletter. A quick google search of a key phrase often tracked them straight to the original, copyrighted article.