Legal Question in Business Law in Texas

Selling web site links in report format

I've done a great deal of detailed research on certain subject-specific websites and their content - info that would be very useful and appealing to a particular niche market. Are there any copyright infringement issues,permission issues or other legalities involved with compiling and offering for sale on my web site e-reports containing links to these sites and descriptive overviews of each site's content (in my own words, of course... no text would be copied)? Also, is it necessary or even legal to copyright an e-report containing information such as this? Finally, do e-reports have to have ISBN's or bar codes or the like to be legally saleable (they would be offered only online and not in print form, delivered in the body of an email)?


Asked on 10/23/04, 12:42 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Peter Bradie Bradie, Bradie & Bradie

Re: Selling web site links in report format

Compilations are definitely copyrightable, and gives you the intellectual property protection you need, if you intend to sell your property commercially. Even though you only intend to sell it in electronic form, the key to copyrighting is that it can be reproduced in hard copy.

Insofar as I am aware, there are no legal prohibitions about linking to a website, unless it's for improper purposes.

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Answered on 10/23/04, 4:11 pm


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