FAIR USE ?

I received my first ever "cease and desist" letter from Blogger this week. Blogger, of course, is responsible for the content published in blogs it hosts, so any official complaints are received first by them. The letter told me that Blogger has "taken down" (i.e. reduced to a draft that remains unpublished) a post of mine from August this year.

The notification advised me that something in my post allegedly infringed on the copyright of others.
The letter didn't give me any detail of the complaint but linked to a site called Chilling Effects where cease and desist notices are filed for perusal. I was advised to see detail there. Unfortunately that site hasn't been updated since 4 December and Blogger's notice to me was dated 5 December. So I am not sure what part of my content was the source of a complaint, nor was I told the name of the complainant (which would be a clue, at least). I immediately informed Blogger Support of this, asked for further detail of the complaint, but 48 hours later am still in the dark.

I try to be very careful about the "Fair Use" guidelines in respect of copyright. In the relevant post I had used a paragraph from an astrologer's website to illustrate a point made with regard to a musical composition. I was careful to use a minumum of copyrighted content and added a long link to the astrologer's website with a very clear recommendation that readers go see the whole article there.

Maybe (if he be the complainant) that astrologer is especially sensitive about having a small amount of his content copied, even when intended as "fair use". But I'm not absolutely certain that the astrological quote was the problem.

I had also copied some extracts of song lyrics, which, again were used to help "prove" a point, as well as a couple of lines from another website about musical composition - also very clearly linked back to the original site.

All the linked content was, to my mind, being used fairly, and in accordance with Fair Use guidelines, in the interests of "education" or clarifying information - about astrology and how it "works". My blog's title: "Learning Curve on the Ecliptic" should give a clue as to what I try to achieve in many of my posts. I try to illustrate astrology "working" in real life, in such a way that those skeptical about the subject might pause to think about their objections, and wonder for a moment or two whether there could be another side to it after all.

As my profile declares, I'm not a professional astrologer. I offer nothing for sale, ask for no donations, carry no commercial adverts. I refer often to books or websites of "the pros", simply to illustrate a point or to add substance to my own, less-experienced, less astrologically-educated views.

Whichever brief quote I used in the "taken-down" post was the subject of complaint, I do not feel unjustified in using any of them. However, since I do not know to exactly what the compainant referred, I must leave the post in draft or delete it. I'm unable to modify it by removing the offending portion, without further information.

PS ~~ These lines are a means of "letting off steam"! If I have sinned, then I am entitled to know details of my sin, and the name of the person or body I have offended, it is unfair to simply have my post removed with no further detail offered. Still no response from Blogger.