EDMOND —
Q: I have a small business, and periodically I send my customers a newsletter. Several of my employees contribute articles to the newsletter. Should the newsletter be copyrighted?
A: You are not required to have the newsletter copyrighted to protect it, because at the moment the newsletter is created, the copyright is automatically vested in your company (assuming it was created in the name of the company and your employees’ contributions are pursuant to their employment with you). You can even use the © symbol, just be sure to follow it with the year of creation and the name of the copyright owner.
Probably, the real question you are asking is whether you should register your copyright with the Copyright Office in Washington, D.C. There are two primary reasons to register a work. First, it creates a presumption that you are the author in case of a later challenge. Second, you cannot sue for infringement of your copyright until you register.
However, whether you wish to go to the trouble of copyrighting your work is a different question. If your work is unique or distinctive, or good enough that someone else might profit from its use, you certainly may wish to.
Factors that you may want to consider include the nature of the information in the newsletter, whether subscriptions are free or fee-based (and therefore have independent economic value), how likely it is someone will want to infringe your work, and whether you ultimately care that much if they do.
Often, with newsletters, a publisher may hope they are copied and distributed to others, as a means of advertising. You may wish to consult an attorney in making this decision.
If you decide to copyright the newsletter, you may register every copy of the newsletter, but you are not required to. Some documents that are created as “serials,” like periodic newsletters, may be registered as a group, called a “collected work,” if they meet certain requirements.
These requirements include that the copyright claim is in the collective work, the newsletters are works-for-hire and the works are essentially all new publications. Current registration fees are $35 for single works, $25 per work for up to three months of serials published once a week or less, and $80 for a month’s worth of serials that are published twice a week or more.
R. SCOTT THOMPSON is an attorney for Lester, Loving & Davies P.C. More information is available at lldlaw.com. Send your questions to questions@lldlaw.com.
Features
Copyright not always necessary
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Special care needed for senior pets
Q: I have a black Labrador mix that is starting to get gray hair around her muzzle. Baby is only 6 years old and we have taken very good care of her. She has always had her shots, she was spayed as a puppy, is on monthly heartworm preventative and is a good weight for her body size at 66 pounds. Is she really already a senior citizen, and what should we watch for? We love her very much and want to keep her healthy and happy as long as possible.
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High self-esteem, reward system can backfire
The media recently reported “new” research findings to the effect that rewards often backfire and self-esteem is not the wonderful, uplifting personal attribute once thought. As a result, schools are rethinking their teaching and classroom management philosophies.
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When rooms talk, it’s time to remodel
I think I might need a keeper. Every room in this house is screaming at me (some more loudly than others), and the cacophony is driving me nuts. You know how it goes. You spruce up one room (in my case the kitchen), and every other room in the house clambers for its share of TLC too.
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Seminar focuses on pet allergies
Paul DeMars, DVM, Community Practice at Oklahoma State University’s Boren Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, will present a Pet Care Seminar at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the McElroy Hall Auditorium at the corner of Farm Road and McFarland on the Stillwater OSU campus.
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Canadian Carnaval is cool carousing
Yes, I have the coolest job in the world — and I visit some really cool places. But the spot that takes the Popsicle is Québec with the Carnaval de Québec and the Hôtel de Glace.
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Wobblers syndrome is chronic, progressive
Q: I have an 8-year-old dog that is three-quarters Doberman Pinscher. He always has been quite active and healthy until about a month ago when he began showing slight signs of weakness and stiffness in his hind legs, but didn’t exhibit pain. He’s worse now.
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Today’s children are being mis-educated about their feelings
Margaret Thatcher, former prime minister of England, once said, “One of the great problems of our age is that we’re governed by people who care more about feelings than they do about thoughts and ideas.”
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Purging of high heels brings despair
If you recall, last week I promised that you had heard the last of my New Year’s purging of closets and cabinets.
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Why does my dog eat his own poop?
Q: My dog Max has suddenly started eating his own poop, and I find it totally disgusting.
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Good Eats
PORK CHOPS WITH ORANGES AND PARSLEY
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Special care needed for senior pets
