Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Arizona

Does the publisher/editor of a family run advertising newspaper have claim to written articles by contributing writers receiving a free ad in exchange for the article. The point being, I want to publish my articles in a booklet and copyright my work. Is my work considered published by the Copyright registration law?


Asked on 8/29/10, 12:02 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Kevin B. Murphy Franchise Foundations, APC

Do you have an agreement with the writers where they give you all rights to their articles in exchange for the ad? Otherwise it might be construed as a work for hire (they write the article, you give them a free ad) where you have a limited license to use the articles, but they retain copyright and ownership. These kinds of cases are highly fact dependent so you should consult an intellectual property attorney in your area for specifics.

Kevin B. Murphy, B.S., M.B.A., J.D. - Mr. Franchise

Franchise Attorney

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Answered on 9/03/10, 3:12 pm


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