Do any of you use anti copy paper to produce plats? Here is Arkansas we are forbiden to copywrite our plats. Most all of the plats that I have done have my raised seal on them and a origional signature and date. I have only signed 2 or 3 plats in the last 25 years. I have been thinking it might be interesting to produce plats on paper that has a VOID water mark in it that will show up when it is copied or scanned.
I have also considered filing PDF files that are huge, for example set my paper size as 36,000 X 24,000 with a 1200 dpi resolution with lots of color pictures inbedded in it, with a password for printing. I tested some software that can unlock a PDF on a file with a 32 character password. I started it Thrusday afternoon and it was still grinding away Monday morning. I wasn't using the fastest computer in the world so I think a 64 character password with Upper case, lower case, numbers, and special charicters would discourage people from breaking my password.
How an you be forbidden to copyright your work? It's a federal right that is triggered the moment you create an original work product. Does AR just permit random copying of surveyors plans? I mean, once the document is recorded it's public information, but until, or unless, it's protected, isn't it?
Or can anyone copy your plan, use it in advertising etc?
Dtp
wiki says
Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time. The exclusive rights are not absolute; they are limited by limitations and exceptions to copyright law, including fair use.
Copyright is a form of intellectual property, applicable to any expressed representation of a creative work. Under US copyright law, however, legal protection attaches only to fixed representations in a tangible medium.[1] It is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rightsholders.[2] These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and "moral rights" such as attribution.[3]
We all got a letter from the state surveyors office informing us that if we placed a copywriter notice on our platts we would be subject to disciple by the board. A GIS guy in one of the counties complained because a surveyor was putting a copywriter on his platts. The GIS guy was afraid to load them into his GIS so he filed a complaint rather than asking permission to use his platts. We are a recording state also.
>"Do you take any steps to discourage people from making copies or scans of your plats?"
That is just silly in my opinion. What if all surveyors in history had done that? How will anyone ever "follow your work"?
First off, I think it's cool that you guys have a State Surveyor!
So why would you put a copyright notice on a plat that will become a public record?
Last Thursday I met a client at her place on Lake Ellison. Her neighbor had contacted her wanting to replace a single barbed wire and tpost divider between the properties with another fence.
My client was very set in wanting to keep in place what I had set and she had added to about 10yrs ago and will probably fight tooth and nail to keep it that way.
When the neighbor stated that she was going to get her lot surveyed to get title insurance she wanted a copy of my clients drawing which she had in hand. MY client answered very quickly that she had paid for the survey and that in no way was she giving a copy of it away for free and that the neighbor could hire me to survey the lot (she knew that I had already done so).
The neighbor quipped that they only hire a surveyor from another town to do all their surveying, so there goes that easy money. Problem is , there is no surveyor in that town or county at present, so I don't know who they are talking about.
It is not required for surveys to be recorded in Texas, so apparently it is the client's right to keep it to themselves.
B-)
Steve Corley, post: 330493, member: 23 wrote: We all got a letter from the state surveyors office informing us that if we placed a copywriter notice on our platts we would be subject to disciple by the board. A GIS guy in one of the counties complained because a surveyor was putting a copywriter on his platts. The GIS guy was afraid to load them into his GIS so he filed a complaint rather than asking permission to use his platts. We are a recording state also.
:bad:
vern, post: 330585, member: 3436 wrote: >"Do you take any steps to discourage people from making copies or scans of your plats?"
That is just silly in my opinion. What if all surveyors in history had done that? How will anyone ever "follow your work"?
I agree that I would like current and future surveyors to have access to my plats as I would like to have access to their's. What is happening here in the Natural State is that anyone with the ability can access and download our plats from the state site. While this is a plus for the profession, it is being used to the professions detriment, as well as harming the public on occasion. Realtors and Title Companies are routinely downloading the plats and using them for closings. The unknowing public is asked to accept and sign a survey affidavit , believing they have a current certified survey for their use and benefit that protects them. They are not given a full disclosure as to what they have actually signed. This usually comes sometime later when they walk into my office and state,"you did a survey on my property 8 years ago and I can not find my pegs." "My neighbor says I am using more than my property and is threatening me." "Can you come back out a show me where the pegs are?" "Yes sir I can and would be happy to for a fee of $$$.$$" "But why the charge, I just closed with this survey 90 days ago?" I am sure others have had the same experience. Once you take the time to explain to them what has actually happened , they become angry and disappointed and without fail state "this is not what I was told". We are harmed in that we as a profession have not had the chance to offer on the job to provide a current survey on the behalf of the client, what they thought they were receiving. They are harmed in that the have signed away any recourse they thought they had to rely on the survey . We are further exposed when some clients and their attorneys choose to list us as a party in a complaint against the neighbor Time and money!! We genuinely have a problem that affects the profession and the public because of online plats with no real restrictions, or the ability to try and inform the public on the face of the said plat.
Well said, Steve.
What do you think of Everett's NEW web site? [SARCASM]It makes me proud[/SARCASM]
http://surveyor.arkansas.gov/
DDSM:beer::beer:
Yaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy.
I interpret this to mean you seal holders no longer have to de-face your plats and drawings with "Certified to : Jane and John Public" and the "Bank and the Title Co and the Realtors second cousin twice removed" statements when your seal and sig effectivley certifies it to the entire world.
Now all you need do is certify up to a cut-off date. Right?
