Copyright in Jokes

From: Curt Cichowski <Curt.Cichowski[_at_]valpo.edu>
Date: Mon, 2 Mar 1998 11:00:10 -0600 (Central Standard Time)

To the list:

A friend of mine is planning on publishing a compilation of jokes, as a book. These are not "her" jokes, but jokes from a variety of sources, some she just heard, some she has seen in written form. She asked me the copyright implications of taking these jokes and compiling them into a single work.

Are jokes copyrightable? If she takes a few from another joke book, would the copyright on the book cover the jokes contained therein?

If jokes are copyrightable, wouldn't it be a rather thin copyright, since there seems to be little difference between the idea and the expression?

Thoughts?  

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Curtis W. Cichowski
Associate Dean for Administration
Valparaiso University School of Law
Wesemann Hall
Valparaiso, IN 46383

voice: 219-465-7841
fax: 219-465-7872

e-mail: Curt.Cichowski[_at_]valpo.edu Received on Mon Mar 02 1998 - 17:07:47 GMT