Whereas US copyright law considers an individual photocopying a scientific article for their own private use as acceptable fair use; and

Whereas many scientists have made photocopies of reprints after their stock of printed reprints has run out, and upon requests for reprints have distributed those photocopies to interested individuals for their own private use; and

Whereas I have not heard of anyone getting in trouble for distributing photocopies of reprints as described above; and

Whereas there is no significant difference between: 1) me going to the library and photocopying a scientific article; or 2) the author mailing me a photocopy of a reprint of that scientific article; or 3) me printing off a copy of that scientific article from a pdf file for my private use as long as I do not download a copy of the pdf file or distribute it;

Be it resolved that printing a single copy of the pdf file of the article:

Bennett, S. C. 1999. Pterosaurs. Pp. 996-1004 in Singer, R., ed. Encyclopedia of Paleontology. Fitzroy Dearborn, Chicago.

is in the spirit of US copyright law as long as I do not download a copy of the pdf file or distribute it, but is even better in that I need not drive to the library and contribute to entropy and contribute to the exhaustion of petroleum reserves and contribute to atmospheric pollution and contribute to the accumulation of greenhouse gasses that are causing global warming, which in turn is causing changes in global weather patterns leading to increased frequency and severity of hurricanes, increased desertification, famine, extinction, etc., etc.