Legal Question in Entertainment Law in Rhode Island
published newspaper articles
My mother writes short human interest stories for a small home town newspaper. She is paid per article. Who owns the articles after they are published? Is she free to submit them to other papers?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: published newspaper articles
Who holds the copyrights will depend on the contract she has with the newspaper. If there is a contract stating that the article is being accepted as a "work for hire", then the newspaper will own the rights. Your mother should speak with an attorney, show him/her the articles in question, and any contracts or agreements with the news paper so that she can get a proper legal opinion.
An easier way may be for your mother to speak to the news paper and find out their position. They may readily concede that she has retained her rights.