The likelihood of commercial copying of the Society's data is so remote that it really can be discounted; there is no comparison with music CDs or video DVDs or computer software for which in any country there must be millions of users, whilst we family researchers are a miniscule number, widely scattered and not readily accessible - I don't see car-boots, street markets, or the man who knows a man in a pub, as feasible outlets.

The Society might consider one, or indeed both, of two approaches:

One is to put all the publications, as is, onto CDs, either read only or with a sort facility. This approach has the merit of bulk production and least admin effort in distribution.

The other is to create a database of everything, suitably catalogued so that the customer can specify which bits are to be extracted, and burned to disc. For instance, someone might want everything pertaining to, say, K.German, whilst another might want a given name(s) extraction across all parishes.

This second method obviously requires greater intervention in meeting the orders but is more flexible in that orders could be sent across the world by email as well as CD.

Wow! I've just had a vision of the Society outsourcing electronic distribution of its publications to a third-world country where the costs amount to pea-nuts, and profits rise from thousands to millions!