VMARS is a not-for-profit organisation specialising in all types of vintage communications
electronics. We maintain an archive of documentation to help our members understand, research,
repair and enjoy their vintage radio equipment. Access by non-members is extended as a gesture
of goodwill, but not as a right.
Rare documents are frequently provided free of charge by VMARS members, and all scanning
and document processing is carried out on a voluntary basis. Accordingly, we do not expect
others to profit from the hard work of volunteers, who give their time freely without charge.
This is a gentle reminder that the document attached to this notice is provided to you for your
personal use only. This edition remains copyright of VMARS, and while you may sell or give
your copy to someone else, this right does not extend to making further copies of this information,
either to give or sell to others. This includes a prohibition on placing it on websites, or printing it
for sale at rallies, boot fairs or similar public events. If our goodwill is abused, then withdrawal
of public access to our archive will be the result.
Please refer anyone else wanting a copy back to VMARS – either to our website at
http://www.vmars.org.uk/
want to know more about our copyright, please see the FAQ below.
Q How can you copyright a document that is already in the public domain?
A. Plainly the original copyright of the content has expired, or we have obtained
permission to copy them. What we copyright is our own edition of the document.
Q. Surely your "own edition" is identical to the original document, so cannot be
copyrighted?
A. Our editions are not identical to the original document. You will find that full advantage
has been taken of electronic publishing facilities, so pages are cleaned up where
possible (rendering them better than originals in some cases!), and large diagrams are
prepared for both on-screen viewing and for easy printing at A4 format.
Q. Why do you not just give your manuals away, as so many do via the internet these days?
A. We do make all our manuals available free of charge (in soft copy) to VMARS members.
These members have already covered the costs of running the archive via their
subscriptions. The only time members are charged for copies is when they request them
on paper, in which case charges are restricted to the cost of paper, ink and postage.
The VMARS archive is not a "shoe-string" operation. Money is spent on computing
facilities to make copies available, and on shipping original documents securely
(usually costing several pounds per shipment) to carry out the scanning. As members
have already contributed to these costs, it is only reasonable that non-members should
do likewise – and thus a very moderate charge is levied for copies provided to non-
members. With typical commercial photocopying charges starting at 5 pence per A4
side, it will be evident that paying 4 pence for our equivalent on paper is excellent value
(amounts current at Spring 2004). We also think "you get what you pay for" – we invite
you to make the comparison and draw your own conclusions!
Despite the above, we will be making copies of essential technical information (circuit
diagram, parts list, layout) freely available to all via our website from Summer 2004
onwards. This will be done to try and encourage and enable the maintenance of our
remaining stock of vintage electronic equipment.
or by email to the Archivist at archivist@vmarsmanuals.co.uk. If you
FAQ on copyright of VMARS documents