Re: Condolence letter

On 3/18/99, Linda Cullen <lcullen[_at_]sipress.si.edu> wrote:
>
> Just want to make sure I'm right about this:
>
> The widow of the subject of one our books provided to the author some
> letters of condolence that were sent to her when her husband died
> (about twenty years ago). The copyright to those letters remains
> with the writers (or their heirs), not the recipient, correct? Thanks.

Assuming this all occurred in the United States then, yes, absent really strange facts, the copies belong to the recipient, and the copyright belongs to the individual letter-writers (or their heirs).

(An example of the sort of strange facts that can have a bearing: if a letter of condolence were written on behalf of a company with whom the deceased had done business, and was authored by an employee of that company whose job duties encompassed authoring such letters, then the copyright would belong to the employer company, rather than to the employee writer.)

In any event, however, the copyright would not belong to the recipient.

(This is not legal advice, you're not my client, etc. etc.)

-Ari

Ari Kahan
<akahan[_at_]netcom.com>