Rules online

[bigjohn]

Is this legal?
Rules & Resources

[JugglingReferee]

Probably not, so download while you can.

[jdmara]

No, I don't think it's legal but I'd like to know how they got that pdf. I have been pestering NFHS/Arbiter to get a copy and they claim they don't have one other than the one available.

-Josh

[bigjohn]

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by jdmara

No, I don't think it's legal but I'd like to know how they got that pdf. I have been pestering NFHS/Arbiter to get a copy and they claim they don't have one other than the one available.

-Josh

They went to the new format specifically because of sites like these. It's a shame because I love having the PDF copies to read on the train. Looks like I'll have to buy hard copies going forward and send them to 1dollarscan.com.

[jdmara]

Originally Posted by InsideTheStripe

They went to the new format specifically because of sites like these. It's a shame because I love having the PDF copies to read on the train. Looks like I'll have to buy hard copies going forward and send them to 1dollarscan.com.

Exactly the reason I've tried to get a pdf copy, it's nice to be able to look things up easily. God forbid we have a question at halftime that we have ten minutes to look up, I can go to my phone and search a pdf easily but may not have internet (or a phone that can access the arbiter site).

BTW, the arbiter technical representative I talked with last week suggested I scan a copy of the book and put it into PDF when I pointed out that things are missing in the online version of the book (ie 8-man modifications for football). That's a nice cheap scanning method (1dollarscan.com), I might have to give it a try. Have you used them before

-Josh

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by jdmara

That's a nice cheap scanning method (1dollarscan.com), I might have to give it a try. Have you used them before

-Josh

The problem is that usually those scans produce images rather than text PDF's: the image files are not searchable.

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The problem is that usually those scans produce images rather than text PDF's: the image files are not searchable.

They have an OCR option that makes their PDF scans searchable and selectable. I haven't used them personally, but those I know who have speak highly of them.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by jdmara

No, I don't think it's legal but I'd like to know how they got that pdf. I have been pestering NFHS/Arbiter to get a copy and they claim they don't have one other than the one available.

-Josh

The NFHS website had PDF's for a few weeks when the new books came out. A few people downloaded them (legally) at that time.

[Welpe]

Reason 352 I like working under NCAA rules better.

[HLin NC]

So pay the $35 a year and join the Fed. I've got pdf rule and case book copies loaded on work and home PC's. You'll also get some liability insurance coverage- $1 mil. I think.

While some have stated they can no longer access the Fed pdf's, I just pulled them up.

My SoCon & SAC cohorts had to download their NCAA books and most took them to be bound so I don't know how that makes the NCAA necessarily better.

[Welpe]

HL, I am a member of the Fed Officials Association and I cannot access the PDFs anymore. Neither can numerous others that are members. The only access we have is through the Arbiter which does not have the PDFs anywhere.

My guess is some that have been members for a while longer still have access to the NFHS website.

[InsideTheStripe]

Originally Posted by HLin NC

So pay the $35 a year and join the Fed. I've got pdf rule and case book copies loaded on work and home PC's. You'll also get some liability insurance coverage- $1 mil. I think.

While some have stated they can no longer access the Fed pdf's, I just pulled them up.

My SoCon & SAC cohorts had to download their NCAA books and most took them to be bound so I don't know how that makes the NCAA necessarily better.

It has nothing to do with paying and joining the Fed. I am a member of the NFHS officials association. The Fed has decided not to make the PDF copies available to members of the officials association anymore as referenced in the error message listed below.

While it's great that you are apparently a paid member of a NFHS professional association or state association staff, not all of us are.

-----------------------------------------------

Welcome to the NFHS Resource Library. The section provides online access to various NFHS publications. Note: The NFHS Rules Books and Case Books are available for paid members of the NFHS professional associations and state association staff.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and view any PDF documents. Downloading and printing of this copyrighted material is prohibited. Click on the Acrobat Reader icon to download this free program.


ACCESS DENIED. YOU MUST BE LOGGED IN AND BE A MEMBER OF AN NFHS PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OR STATE STAFF MEMBER.

NOTE: AS OF JANUARY 2011 MEMBERS OF THE NFHS OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION ARE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE NFHS RULES CONTENT VIA THE NFHS/ARBITER HUB. THIS AREA IS LOCATED AT THE FOLLOWING URL...

HTTP://NFHS.ARBITERSPORTS.COM


NOTE: THE NFHS IS MOVING AWAY FROM MAKING PDF FILES AVAILABLE ONLINE. THIS IS DUE TO THE INCREASED ABUSE OF THE COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. FAR TOO MANY LOCAL CHAPTERS AND GROUPS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTING THE PDF VERSIONS ONLINE. AS WE MOVE FORWARD ONLY ONLINE SEARCHABLE VERSIONS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

Is this legal?
Rules & Resources

If it's a copy of Fed's football rules, then yes, it's legal.

Fed claims a copyright on their rule book, but that claim would never stand up in court considering that the great majority of the material in it was taken from public domain sources and is present in other governing bodies' football rule books. At best they might sustain a copyright on some short passages of Fed's original material, but there doesn't seem to be enough of that in the book to interest anybody.

I laugh at the way, for instance, the USFL copied NFL's contemporaneous rule book, altered just a few words in the whole thing, and slapped a copyright notice on it! A copyright notice doesn't make a piece of writing your property; it has to itself be original.

Fed didn't always even have a copyright notice on their rule book. I have a 1960 football rule book (NFSHSAA-NAIA-NJCAA Alliance) and it has no copyright notice. All the current USAn rule books originated from the product of a single rules committee, which used to be published by Spalding, which came under the control of the NCAA. NFL and Fed started with NCAA's, and started amending it separately. At some point somebody decided to slap a copyright notice on the front, but it's far too late for that to be effective. You think that by altering a few words at a time over many annual editions, you get to claim copyright over the whole thing? Don't make me laugh.

Copyright is meant to protect literary expression, not the conveyance of facts. Since rule books are useful articles and football is not a proprietary game, the language of the rules falls under a doctrine in copyright law that states, essentially, that if there's only one or a few ways to conveniently express certain information, you can't copyright the language used.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

If it's a copy of Fed's football rules, then yes, it's legal.

You may think so, but I bet the Fed makes them take it down.