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Posted By: Joe Tedesco 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/09/05 02:53 AM
Free Access to the NEC
http://www.nfpa.org/freecodes/free_access_agreement.asp?id=7005SB

[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 08-01-2005).]
Posted By: Joe Tedesco Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/09/05 03:03 AM
Go for it!

[This message has been edited by Joe Tedesco (edited 08-01-2005).]
Posted By: gfretwell Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/09/05 04:47 AM
The EE news group was taking about this. It is a Japanese site with the NEC and a rudimentry viewer from what I gather. I did get it to open and poked around a bit.
Posted By: Roger Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/09/05 08:25 AM
I was also able to open it.

Roger
Posted By: Ron Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/11/05 05:55 PM
The website is not offering official access to the NEC. I'm assuming that the NFPA will take pretty swift action to stop their presentation.
Posted By: renosteinke Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/12/05 01:30 AM
Considerng the implivations of the Veeck case, this site may very well be legit...and not a thing the NFPA can do about it.
I expect to see virtually every other code to become available in this manner.
No man owns the law. Period.
Posted By: Celtic Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/12/05 03:45 AM
Interesting. http://www.kentlaw.edu/perritt/professorperritt/perrittamicus.html http://www.law.cornell.edu/copyright/cases/241_F3d_398.htm

I wondered what Veeck you were talking about...it's not Billy.

I wonder how this will all pan out.
Posted By: renosteinke Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/13/05 01:04 AM
Thank you, Celtic. I was not aware of that particular brief....and I once took a course at that school! Small world.

Also, as a member of one such "code writing and publishing" group, I would like to make the following observations:
-Their "transparant" and "consensus based" approach apparently has yet to include telling it's members what's going on....unless they want to skip work for a week (twice a teay) and travel to a convention...and pay thousands of dollars for the priveledge;
-They have yet to ask what I think about anything;
-They certainly never asked their members what their thoughts were before they filed a brief supporting the SBCCI.


There is also the issue of accountability; another such group (ASME) tried to avoid accountability when their members twisted their procedures to torpedo a new manufacturer...and the ASME found nothing wrong with that. (See Hydrolevel vs. ASME, US Supreme Court for the story).

As to those who claim that this will put such groups out of business...I canh only observe that Thomas Publishing, Commerce Clearing House, and West Publishing are all exceptionally profitable publishers- and all base their business on "public domain" items!
Posted By: George Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/13/05 04:25 PM
renosteinke ---

West Publishing has value added commentary.

I believe someone scanned the West books and put them on CD. West sued and won. The commentary was copywrite West. That copywrite was the downfall of the scanners.
Posted By: renosteinke Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/14/05 01:32 AM
Absolutely correct, George. Just as the NFPA has handboke, etc.
Posted By: safetygem Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/25/05 04:56 PM
John... I have often had the same questions concerning the "legality" of laws not being in the public domain.

How is it that NFPA can boast that the NEC has been adopted in all 50 states (although not the same edition)... and then the only way to get a copy is to pay for the book?

You would think that once a state has adopted a particular version of the NEC (as an example) then the document would then have to be available free of charge. Now granted most public libraries have access to these documents, but, not all. If someone lives 100 miles from the nearest public library, does that mean if they are unwilling to travel then then are just SOL? Shouldn't all codes that are incorporated by reference be readily accessible to the regulated community?

For example in the Ohio Fire Code, there are a whole host of consensus standards (NFPA, ANSI, ASTM. ASME, etc.) that have been incorporated by reference in the Ohio Administrative Code. You would think there would be a reasonble way to review all of those standards.

Quote
Ohio Administrative Code 1301:7-7-44 Referenced standards.
This rule lists the standards that are referenced in various sections of the ohio fire code. The standards listed herein shall be considered part of the requirements of the ohio fire code to the prescribed extent of each such reference.
I'm just on a rant. [Linked Image]
Posted By: George Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 04/25/05 07:30 PM
safetygem ---

The copyright issue is one of form not of substance.

A proper way to adopt a code is to say something along the lines of: you may follow the current version of any nationally recognized electrical code or supply engineering.

If a permit applicant choses to build to the NEC, he brings the codebook to the AHJ and says he is following that book.

Anytime a community adopts a specific code they are in deep financial trouble. They need to provide the code book to the applicant and pay the copyright holder.
Posted By: Joe Tedesco Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 08/01/05 10:21 PM
Free Access to the NEC
http://www.nfpa.org/freecodes/free_access_agreement.asp?id=7005SB
Posted By: Roger Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 08/01/05 10:52 PM
Thanks Joe. I like that this one is provided by the NFPA.

Roger
Posted By: Joe Tedesco Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 08/01/05 11:09 PM
Roger:

For sure, I found out about from a Home Inspector!

This will settle the issue that concerned some who thought that it should be made public on for review.

We can probably use it here when necessary keeping it minimized on our machines.
Posted By: Roger Re: 2005 NEC On Line?? - 08/01/05 11:23 PM
Joe,
Quote
This will settle the issue that concerned some who thought that it should be made public on for review.
good point. [Linked Image]

Roger
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