Legal Question in Business Law in Florida

Reproduction of Copyright Material

To reproduce copyright material you need the written consent of the copyright owner. Are there any exceptions to that rule? At work, I am the Lead in the Copy Center of a large Corporation and have been in the printing business for over 30 years. It has always been policy that copyright material may not be reproduced without the written permission of the copyright owner. My new boss feels it is okay to reproduce copyright material, for reference purposes, without the consent of the copyright owner, but I disagree and have refused to reproduce the material. What would I have to do to protect myself from being classified as insubordinate. I do not want to be intimidated or bullied into doing something that is a criminal act.


Asked on 1/23/02, 6:06 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Peter Gonzalez Sanchez-Medina, Gonzalez, Quesada, Lage, Crespo, Gomez & MachadoLLP

Re: Reproduction of Copyright Material

First, I'm not a copyright lawyer, but I'm happy to share some general thoughts in response to your question. Second, if you follow your supervisor's requests, I don't believe it would be construed as a criminal act, even if your actions violated copyright law. Third, if it did indeed constitute a violation of copyright law, the civil liability would probably fall on your employer, and not on you. Fourth, there are exceptions to the general principle that copyrighted material cannot be reproduced, and copying for educational or reference purposes may fall under the exceptions, so your supervisor's point may be valid. Lastly, seek the advice of a copyright lawyer, who can probably answer the question over the telephone at no charge, and you may learn that your concerns are not warranted and that following your supervisor's instructions may be lawful and justified. Good luck.

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Answered on 1/23/02, 6:45 pm


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