There seems to be some confusion and concerns about the USGenWeb County sites being copyrighted. Our hopes are to make the purpose and necessity clear in everyone's mind.

First let me say that it is recommended by the USGenWeb that each county website copyright their site. This information can be found at: The USGenWeb Project Info For Volunteers.

Second let me say that it is regrettable that we feel the need to have to copyright the pages format of what we intend to be free material. It is in our endeavor to keep the material free that we have the need for the copyright. Numerous sites have taken liberties of "stealing" our material and charging unsuspecting researchers for what we have put online to be free. Then there are those who are even more brazen and charge monthly fees for links to genealogy material.....and many of those links go directly to GenWeb sites. The copyright on the GenWeb sites are strictly to protect our sites from the unwanted bandits who attempt to profit from our free materials.

It is also important that you understand that it is not the actual material that we are copyrighting....but the format in which we present the material. The information itself is for the public to freely have use of.....just not to reproduce in the same format we present it; not to charge anyone for the use of our site or material. The original author does not lose any rights as the copyright holder.

For a better understanding of the actual copyright laws, please read the Government Copyright guidelines.