Question: I recently updated some written materials in a manual I’m producing, and I’m not sure whether to update the copyright date, too. Currently, the copyright notice in the manual says “1998.” Should I change it to “2000″ or just leave it alone? Does it really matter? Copyright notices are one of the easiest things [...] Continue reading ...
Understanding Business Communication Copyright Laws
Question: What are the copyright laws regarding business letters and other forms of communication? Some members of a copyediting-related discussion list have asked the question, “Who owns the copyright (as opposed to owning the letter)?” And how does this relate to e-mail? For some reason, there is a common misconception that correspondence and other forms [...] Continue reading ...
Using Client Logos
Question: I work for a consulting firm where we often use clients’ logos in the custom documents we produce, and our sales department also likes to use potential clients’ logos in sales presentations. When we’ve had difficulty getting an “official” logo file from a client (or haven’t wanted to ask a potential client), some of [...] Continue reading ...
Using Parts of Another Company’s Documentation to Supplement Your Company’s Documentation
Question: We want to use parts of another company’s documentation to supplement/support our product’s documentation. I know we need to get a letter stating that we can use parts of the other company’s copyrighted material, but what exactly should be addressed in the letter? You’re smart to recognize the importance of the copyright issue here! [...] Continue reading ...
Placing Copyright Notices In Documentation
Question: I have a client who is considering putting a copyright notice on every page of their technical documentation because they are concerned about people in the field faxing individual pages to their customers. I said that it was not necessary because the way the copyright law is written, the whole document is protected. I [...] Continue reading ...