Legal Question in Intellectual Property in California

Is it legal to copy and redistribute via web site or e-mail local classified ads from the local paper or local paper's web site? I'm sure the advertisers would love some extra free advertising, but do the papers actually have copyright on the ads that people post? I can't seem to find a straight answer on this one. Is it legal to copy classified ads out of the paper and put them on a website, even if you cite the paper's name as the source?


Asked on 7/16/10, 4:40 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Bryan Whipple Bryan R. R. Whipple, Attorney at Law

Republishing classified ads as proposed could be double trouble. First, I'm 99% sure the republication would violate a copyright. Second, the advertisers themselves have chosen to advertise in a given newspaper with known circulation for a specific time period, and have privacy and other rights that could be violated by exposing their information, phone numbers, etc, into other markets and for additional time periods. On first impression, this is a risky business, and citing the origin newspaper doesn't help you a bit.

Read more
Answered on 7/16/10, 9:47 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Intellectual Property questions and answers in California