Shared File Resource (for out of prints docs)

[ld50]

RE2 mentioned the idea of a shared file resouce in the finances thread – I like the idea of that but I wasn’t sure if anyone else as into it. I’ve got a few gems of documentation and I know chris has stacks and stacks of oem docs. We’ve also now got the space and bandwidth to deliver it…(i hope)

Whilst we were working out the finances thing I wondered whether we could perhaps have access to this as a perk of paid membership, but i think then legally it could be construed as profiting from the copyrighted works which would quite correctly be seen as dodgy.

However…if we give it away for free (i.e. not based on a membership fee, but to forum members only) and based on the understanding that there is no legal way of obtaining the same docs I think it could work – i.e. you can’t phone VW and request a brochure for the 89 syncro so whilst they hold the copyright for the doc, it’s out of print and chris or ebay is about the only choice you’ve really got. And thus giving it away for free must be covered by some sort of fair use law for out of print stuff.

VW Germany have a totally different approach to this than the UK do. If we collect a rough list of what we’ve actually got to share and then go to the PR dept of VW Germany and say we’ve got this huge catalogue of out-of-print VW stuff amd we’d like to put this online for free for our syncro community members they might give us permission do to so, whereas VW UK wouldn’t be able to give the go-ahead on something like that.

I think we’d be talking literally printed materials so no etka etc.

However – Would this mean we just increase the number of 1-post signups massively? or just “Search the files” instead of “Search the forums”?

If you’re interested then please post and maybe we can set something up

[no such user]

DO IT!

I’ve tried contacting VW UK about stuff and they really don’t give a toss…. probably not until they notice something out of order anyway.

I’m happy to donate my scanned materials to the project – there’s not a lot, but a little and I can convert jpgs into pdf documents of varying resolutions, as I have the tools for my work anyway.

Unless anyone’s making money out of what we’re doing then there’s no real case to ask us to stop – there’s nothing in it for either side.

[1.8TsyncroB3]

I say we should give it a try. The worst VW could do is demand that we take it down.

Another possible option for some of the more questionable documentation is to create a detailed links page for members. There is a growing wealth of syncro related info hosted on many other sites. The downside is that some links go dead as the host sites are revised, requiring occasional clean-up and fine tuning by an administrator.

[re2]

im no computor buff so is it feasable for someone to do a programme to halp scan stuff in and stitch pages together. I have about 8 rallye brochures, 9 country brochures, 20 + golf brochures, 10 jetta brochures, technical releases, countless articles etc

[no such user]

If people can scan their articles in carefully and save them as good quality jpg files then I can combine them into pdf documents, or alternatively they can just be put up as jpg files embedded into articles in a website.

Re2, tell me the brochures you have aren’t all the same, please!!

[ld50]

yeah tbh as long as they’re decent quality scans (about 200dpi should do it) we can store oodles of JPEGs and also tag them etc – and then they can be converted at lesiure. TBH the scans as jpgs would be more use to me than pdfs but storing both isn’t a major problem in any case

[re2]

quote:

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Originally posted by Diamond Hell

Re2, tell me the brochures you have aren’t all the same, please!!

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They are all different, as all are different production dates, but there are a few the same. I also have a variety of languages. The best buys recently was an early 1986 english brochure from holland and an english golf country brochure. You should see my massive boardroom sized cutaway poster of the golf syncro!
Its the english rallye brochure id like, but i aint paying £50! Too much money for paper!

[Author]

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