Copyrighting and publishing content I purchased from freelance writers?

[elgordova]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Virginia

I own a website which provides technical reference material to visitors. All of the content on my website is professionally written by contracted, freelance technical personnel who I hire on a "per job" basis. In addition, my website charges users for access to certain material.

I would like to publish this material in a book and sell it.

It is clearly stated (for every project) that: we will assume formal and copyright ownership of technical content for modification and use as we see fit. The contractor will assume no ownership, responsibilities or future liabilities for technical content once delivered.


1) Can I legally copyright this material, because I purchased it outright?

2) Am I obligated to notify the contractors that I plan to publish this in book form? They are not aware of the site their material is posted on.

3) Am I obligated to credit the contractors as authors when published in book form? They are not credited on the website.

[FlyingRon]

Based on the assumption you have those words transferring rights in the entirety in each contract you have with the freelancer (best to make sure that is done for each work, the general trend is to lean on the author keeping the rights if there is any ambiguity).

1) Can I legally copyright this material, because I purchased it outright?

Copyright is NOT a verb. The work is protected by copyright as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form. You can register the copyright if you are the owner.

2) Am I obligated to notify the contractors that I plan to publish this in book form? They are not aware of the site their material is posted on.

No.

3) Am I obligated to credit the contractors as authors when published in book form? They are not credited on the website.

Not by law. You have to decide if the integrity of your work dictates if the author be disclosed.

[elgordova]

Originally Posted by FlyingRon

Copyright is NOT a verb. The work is protected by copyright as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form. You can register the copyright if you are the owner.

Thank you for clarifying this.

Originally Posted by FlyingRon

Not by law. You have to decide if the integrity of your work dictates if the author be disclosed.

No, the integrity of the work is not dictated by the author. This technical content needs to be articulated properly- however, the information itself is not interpreted or opinionated (opined?) by the writer.

This may be outside the scope of the current discussion, but would I then credit myself (or my website/company) as the editor/creator for the published book?