Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Poem of the Day

I've just discovered that my poem Mid-December was pod-broadcast recently by Poem of the Day.

You can listen to it at http://podcast.sonibyte.com/audio/8861.mp3

Now I didn't give my permission for this so technically their publication is a breach of my copyright. It is a good reading (albeit in an American accent) and I am not complaining about the broadcast as such. I just wish I had been informed beforehand.

The poem was found either on the Famous Poets site, or another whose URL I won't quote.

Recently the poem was published on Mrs. Nesbitt's Place but she correctly first sought my permission.

I discovered that another website had also published my poem. On complaining to them they apologised and inserted a link back to the Famous Poets website.

I then discovered it on a certain blog and left a comment thereon pointing out the error (of not requesting permission before reprinting copyright material) although I did not request its removal. The webmistress concerned apologised by email (she had, it seems, discovered my poem neither at Mrs. Nesbitt's Place nor on the Famous Poets website but on the other aforementioned website), but to cover her embarrassment deleted my comment from her blog and replaced my poem with one from a long-dead author.

I rarely refuse any requests to reuse my work (be it poems or photographs) but I do always insist on proper copyright acknowledgement.

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