Karen, excuse me if I am wrong here, but isn't there a "fair use" policy online that as long as you give proper credit you can post a great deal of another's writing?
I have even seen the clause posted on websites that do cite a lot of other's works.
I am taking this short bit from
"Fair use of copyrights material":
Copyright does not protect, this Policy does not apply to, and anyone may freely use*:
* Works that lack originality
o logical, comprehensive compilations (like the phone book)
o unoriginal reprints of public domain works
* Works in the public domain
* Freeware (not shareware, but really, expressly, available free of restrictions-ware -- this may be protected by law, but the author has chosen to make it available without any restrictions)
* US Government works
* Facts
* Ideas, processes, methods, and systems described in copyrighted works
RULES OF THUMB FOR RESEARCH COPIES
Limit research copies to
*
single chapters
*
single articles from a journal issue
*
several charts, graphs, illustrations
*
other similarly small parts of a work.
*My opinion is that most of the quoted works are single articles, charts, graphs, and works from the public domain. Granted some people are quoting some vast works including many chapters, and for this I would say put in one chapter and if the reader is so inclined they may go to the link and read the rest.
This is not a forum to make a profit, but rather share ideas with one another. I do not think anyone can claim the small subscription fee is to get a chance to read others works free of charge. It is about sharing information from many sources and discussing that information. I am of course happy to only cite a chapter or paragraph, but sometimes the article is just easier to copy if it is six or seven paragraphs and I do believe that fits the fair use rule. I am also aware of the owners of this site not wishing to get entangled in some legal battle, but a simple fair use pop up or notice on the sign-in page would probably protect the site.