Re: Letters from Government Officials

At 07:08 PM 12/26/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>A colleague, having received a letter from a government official, wonders
>if such a communication is protected, or if publishing it (on the Web or
>elsewhere) is permissible without seeking the official's permission.
>
>This was evidently a letter addressed to the particular individual, not a
>general announcement or mass mailing.
>
>--Dodi Schultz

The official was acting in his/her official capacity? If so, Sec. 105 would appear to apply: "Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government." A letter is a "literary work." A letter from the government is just not eligible for copyright. It's public domain ab initio. (The U.S. can acquire copyrights by assignment or bequest or other transfer, but that's another story). S. Martin Keleti
COHEN AND COHEN
740 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3339
323.938.5000
323.936.6354 FAX Received on Sat Dec 29 2001 - 04:14:29 GMT