Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Pennsylvania
can i put my email on a list .....
I am a soccer coach who was asked by a player for ''an email list of the team''. I gave him a list of a bunch of players' addresses (without matching names) and included one of mine as coach - I used my AOL address which was not as recognizable as my school address.
The players later used this list apparantly not realizing that, as a coach, I am also on this list - they said some pretty bad things about me that I need to show my bosses. But I've been told that maybe these shouldn't be in my hands, since the players thought of ''team'' as ''players-only''. Someone called it ''eavesdropping''. But the way I see it, I am a member of the team, and these (careless) players decided to make their problems the team's business by sending to the team email list. So I think they are rightfully mine to show anyone. Am I correct???
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: can i put my email on a list .....
This is really a matter of etiquette, school policies and basic concepts of trust by your players rather than Intellectual Property Law. Strictly as a matter of common sense, I believe you need to balance your obligations, risk of litigation and duties as an education professional with those of trust and loyalty to your players. And in that context decide whether you are better off confronting the students alone or with the support of the administration. However, I am not an expert in education or labor law, which is where this matter is probably more properly addressed.
On the basis of Intellectual Property Law such as copyright law, there is no bar to showing the emails to others, but again this is not really an IP Law matter.
Regards,
Don
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