Ask Dr. Copyright

Last month, we heard tell o’ the pirates and the lawyers that chase ’em to the gates of perdition (or at least to the local federal courthouse,) with bloggers getting caught in the crossfire on the open sea, holed and sunk by legal briefs and lawyer bills.  This month, it’s time to run for safe […]

Many individuals, companies and non-profits now have “blogs” where they invite comments and questions from readers. Most of those operating blogs and other websites seem unaware that they could be subject to suit for copyright infringement if materials posted by others are alleged to violate the exclusive rights of copyright holders. Many bloggers have fallen […]

Dear Doc: How long does a copyright last?  I seem to remember that it’s 28 years or so, but that it can be renewed, and that’s why they sing cheesy “faux” happy birthday songs in restaurants… because they don’t want to have to pay the two little old ladies who own the rights.  Right??? Signed, […]

Dear Dr. ©: A friend of mine said that I can copyright the songs that I write by sending them to myself using registered mail.  That sounds easy.  So, what’s the scoop? Sincerely, Musically Uninformed Dear MU: Your friend has perpetuated one of the oldest “urban myths” (apart from that one about alligators in the […]

Dear Dr. ©: My church wants to host a movie night for the kids, where we show a Disney film, serve popcorn, and promote fellowship among the parents.  One of the parents has a DVD copy of the movie, and we own a projector and screen.  Everybody says not to worry about copyright.  If we […]

Dear Dr. ©: I’d like to make a donation to a charity, such as my college.  I have some copyrights.  May I donate them and take a tax deduction? Sincerely, Copyright Cheapskate Dear Cheap: First, the answer is Yes, you may donate a copyright to your college.  Since copyrights last a very long time (if […]

Dear Dr. ©: In old movies, the newsboys (newsyoungpersons now?) are always standing in the street (don’t their parents know that they could be hit by a horsecart?) yelling, “Extree! Extree! Read All About It!” and waving some yellow rag in the air.  I remember hearing that facts in news stories can’t be copyrighted, but that […]

Dear Dr. C: I want to publish and sell a line of postcards.  I think that I am a pretty decent photographer, and I travel a lot, so most of the pictures will be photos that I have taken on my travels.   Is all of this legal? Signed, Shutter Bug Dear Ms. Bug: As with […]

Dear Dr. C: I used Google’s image search and found a really great photo that I saved. It does not have a © notice on it. Now I want to use it on my web site. I may also have done the same thing a “few” times before. Is that OK? — Anonymous (for obvious […]