Here's a scanned excerpt from R.A. Collings' excellent Way Out-> tube map, available from Stanfords, and perhaps other good map and bookshops, for a very reasonable £1.95. (Amazon.co.uk has it at 4-6 weeks delivery at the time of writing.)
Being told where to get off can sometimes be a pain, but not with the Way Out-> map. Its clever, easy to use system shows you which carriage to board to arrive right opposite the platform exit at your destination.Note: the use of the geographical tube map; the faded-out simplified street map behind; one side has central London, the other has the rest of the tube network.
Also: London maps for buses, tubes, trains, walking, attractions [via antimega]
Without prejudice,
I notice that you have an excerpt from my WAY OUT TUBE MAP on your website.
As this is copyright will you please remove this within 7 days and confirm that this will be done.
Copyright theft is a criminal offence.
Yours faithfully
R.A.Collings
Posted by: Roger collings | January 24, 2005 at 06:41 PM
It's not copyright theft, if anything it's copyright infringement. No matter how much someone infringes your copyright you still 'own' it, so it hasn't been stolen. Also copyright infringment is not a criminal offence it is a civil offence. (INAL etc.)
Posted by: tom p | February 03, 2005 at 09:25 AM
The excerpt persuaded me the map would be good for me - so it resulted in a sale.
Posted by: Phil Reynolds | April 19, 2005 at 07:20 PM
Glad to hear it Phil.
At the time (in Jan 2005), advice was offered by several people that this use would probably fall under the fair use or fair dealing exceptions to US and UK/EU copyright law. Nonetheless we're big fans of Roger Collings' map and much prefer to be friendly than adversarial, so we emailed him on 26 Jan to say that, yes, we'd remove it if he really wanted, but suggested that a more positive step might be to leave the excerpt there as a recommendation:
"If you'd really like me to remove that excerpt I will [... But] I'd actually prefer to leave my post there as a positive review and buying recommendation to the people who read my site - something I hope ultimately benefits you as well as them. Is there something more positive (than removal) that I could do that would satisfy you, such as modifying the post or clarifying more explicitly that the copyright is yours?"
- But there was no reply. That offer still stands to Mr Collings.
Posted by: rodcorp | April 19, 2005 at 07:57 PM
I have been trying to buy the map by Mr Collings but it seems to have gone out of print, maybe because you 'stole' his copyright, he can't authorise the publishers to print anymore?! I have been put off buying it now anyway due to the authors attitude problem.
Em
Posted by: Em | December 21, 2005 at 01:22 PM
Em,
Amazon claims to be able to get in 4-6 weeks: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1899743014
Other places to try would be the shop at the London Transport Museum http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/ or Stanfords map shop http://www.stanfords.co.uk
We'd still recommend it though, regardless of the author's attitude to fair use!
Posted by: rodcorp | December 21, 2005 at 02:42 PM
I was going to buy a copy of this, but given R. A. Collings seems to be a prize pillock, I shan't bother.
Posted by: Steve | June 18, 2009 at 10:21 AM