Q. My company subscribes to various technical journals. We often copy pertinent articles and distribute copies to our employees for their reference. Could we be exposing ourselves to copyright infringement liability?
A. Possibly. The issue is one that implicates the “Fair Use” Doctrine of Copyright Law. A copyright is the federal grant of exclusive legal rights for original works of authorship, such as books, articles, songs, and computer programs. A copyright owner has certain exclusive rights, including the rights to copy and distribute the work. A violation of any of these rights constitutes copyright infringement. Penalties for copyright infringement can be severe, with statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringement for willful infringement.
To read my full article that was published in the Union Leader, please click here.
Intellectual Property Resource 