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Are ALL emails IP ?

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ILLINOIS is my state. QUESTION: I have a workmanship issue regarding work performed on my home which the contractor refuses to address. We’ve had several email exchanges. Can I publish his email reply’s ? I’d like to include those reply’s in my reviews (Yelp, etc.).
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
ILLINOIS is my state. QUESTION: I have a workmanship issue regarding work performed on my home which the contractor refuses to address. We’ve had several email exchanges. Can I publish his email reply’s ? I’d like to include those reply’s in my reviews (Yelp, etc.).
If you got a problem, just sue.
 

quincy

Senior Member
ILLINOIS is my state. QUESTION: I have a workmanship issue regarding work performed on my home which the contractor refuses to address. We’ve had several email exchanges. Can I publish his email reply’s ? I’d like to include those reply’s in my reviews (Yelp, etc.).
Copyright protects all creative and original works fixed in a tangible form so, yes, emails technically can be protected under copyright laws.

I would avoid copying and publishing the emails on a review site.

Unless there was a mutual understanding/expectation that the content of the emails would not be shared with others, you can disclose what was discussed.

What you write should be fair and balanced. Do not embellish or exaggerate or generalize. You should stick to the facts of your one personal experience. Let the readers of your review come to their own conclusions.

Zigner has a better course of action for you to take. If you have a problem with a contractor, sue. Writing a review about the contractor potentially can get you sued.
 

adjusterjack

Senior Member
ILLINOIS is my state. QUESTION: I have a workmanship issue regarding work performed on my home which the contractor refuses to address. We’ve had several email exchanges. Can I publish his email reply’s ? I’d like to include those reply’s in my reviews (Yelp, etc.).
Read Yelp's Terms of Service. Then make sure you write FACTS. I would certainly include his replies word for word.

I've seen many negative reviews on Yelp where the owner corrects the problem satisfactorily. That usually works if the company has many good reviews and only a few bad ones. If he's got lots of bad ones, another bad one isn't going to help you.

I tend to disagree a bit about the copyright issue. Quoting what somebody says in an email should be no different than quoting what somebody says on the phone or in person.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Read Yelp's Terms of Service. Then make sure you write FACTS. I would certainly include his replies word for word.

I've seen many negative reviews on Yelp where the owner corrects the problem satisfactorily. That usually works if the company has many good reviews and only a few bad ones. If he's got lots of bad ones, another bad one isn't going to help you.

I tend to disagree a bit about the copyright issue. Quoting what somebody says in an email should be no different than quoting what somebody says on the phone or in person.
Quoting is different from copying and publishing.

If quotes are used, they should be placed in proper context.
 

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