Searchable newsclippings database

[Scott Rex]

Wisconsin

I would like to allow my web site visitors to access a searchable database of telecom industry news. I create the database by cutting and pasting from online news sources and have previously used it only for my own research needs.

There appear to be obvious copyright issues, but I don't want to discard the idea until I'm sure. It's not practical for me to obtain permission from each source (there are close to 1,000 citations, hundreds of publications). Optimally I'd like users to have access to the complete text as I have entered it, but I could also edit each citation down to just the industry facts, figures and trends my clients really need.

I don't plan to charge for the access, but the online database would benefit me by increasing site traffic and, hopefully, business.

Thanks.

 

[divgradcurl]

Reposting of other's work is clearly copyright infringement. You could link to others work, but you cannot repost the work without the copyright owner's permission.

" don't plan to charge for the access"

Doesn't matter -- it would still be infringement.

"industry facts, figures and trends"

These still may be copyrighted. Although facts themselves are not copyrightable, figures certainly would be (unless you created them yourself from noncopyrighted facts), and trends as well would be copyrighted, since they are "opinions" and therefore "creative."

Also, be careful with the "facts" -- if there is any creativity in them, then they will be covered by copyright, even if they appear to be just facts.