K
kbd101
Guest
(D.C.) I worked for a college for two years and wrote an article for a parent newsletter. The article ran with my name in the by-line and was mailed to about 2,000 people. After leaving the institution, I received a copy of their newsletter the following year and found my article (nearly verbatim) reprinted, but with someone else's name in the by-line. Aside from the fact that the story was a personal life narrative, I'm interested in submitting the article to a magazine for publication.
When I wrote to my previous employer about my concerns, she told me that I could not copyright an idea or topic (which is not what I was seeking to do), that I couldn't "lay claim" to the article because a colleague had edited my work, and that I do not own the rights to the story.
Can I submit an edited version of my original story, or is that now owned by my previous employer? Was the reprint plagiarism, or does the college now have the write to reprint a portion of my life story and put someone else's name on it?
When I wrote to my previous employer about my concerns, she told me that I could not copyright an idea or topic (which is not what I was seeking to do), that I couldn't "lay claim" to the article because a colleague had edited my work, and that I do not own the rights to the story.
Can I submit an edited version of my original story, or is that now owned by my previous employer? Was the reprint plagiarism, or does the college now have the write to reprint a portion of my life story and put someone else's name on it?