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jwd89

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

I am starting up a blog, which is owned entirely by myself. I am hoping to have others contribute. How it would work is, they send me articles created exclusively for the blog, and I post them in their names. Since they are writing the content but it will be posted on a site I own, I'm confused as to how the law works regarding this stuff.

1. Who owns the content they write? Me or them?

2. If I make money off of ads on the site, am I opening myself up to legal issues since I could be seen as profiting off of their work even though it's with their consent?

3. If I am, how can I circumvent these issues? My site does not make nearly enough money to compensate anyone for their work, so that's not an option. Everyone writing for the blog understands that there's no compensation involved, it's just a hobby for me. The ads are to hopefully cover the cost of the site.
 


quincy

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Wisconsin

I am starting up a blog, which is owned entirely by myself. I am hoping to have others contribute. How it would work is, they send me articles created exclusively for the blog, and I post them in their names. Since they are writing the content but it will be posted on a site I own, I'm confused as to how the law works regarding this stuff.

1. Who owns the content they write? Me or them?

2. If I make money off of ads on the site, am I opening myself up to legal issues since I could be seen as profiting off of their work even though it's with their consent?

3. If I am, how can I circumvent these issues? My site does not make nearly enough money to compensate anyone for their work, so that's not an option. Everyone writing for the blog understands that there's no compensation involved, it's just a hobby for me. The ads are to hopefully cover the cost of the site.
FreeAdvice owns the content on this site and collects the revenue generated from the ads. All contributors here have agreed, through the terms of service agreed to when registering, that what we write belongs to FreeAdvice and not to us.*

A click on agreement with your contributors could give you rights to their works (limited or exclusive) without pay to them.

I suggest you read the information provided on the following site, as it can help you avoid legal issues in the future: http://www.kcnn.org. This is a Knight Community News Network site that is designed for bloggers and other online writers. Take a look at the banner at the top of the page and click on the "Modules" link. Then search out the "10 Legal Risks" module. This gives great information on the law as it applies to online writers, and how to best protect yourself from a lawsuit.

You can also have an attorney in your area help you create an online agreement that covers your specific needs. The attorney can also review your proposed content and blog set-up and point out any problem areas.

Good luck with your blog. :)



(*although it certainly would be nice if FreeAdvice shared with us their ad revenue ;) :)).
 
Last edited:

Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Yeah, I mean what else would keep us coming here? You really ought to update your address with site admin :p
 

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