barryg@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Lee Gold) (02/26/85)
Legally mail can be seen privately by the recipient but only published with the permission of the sender. (At least, that's the law in regards to letters and I doubt that it would change beause the stuff is electronically encoded rather than written.) --Lee Gold
rick@uwmacc.UUCP (the absurdist) (02/27/85)
>Legally mail can be seen privately by the recipient but only >published with the permission of the sender. Now, I have been told just the opposite: anything you write to someone becomes their property as far as publication rights. Are there any legal experts who can say what the common legal view is? (Of course, net etiquette can say anything it wants; the law and good manners are 2 separate ideas). In general I would not publish anything personal from mail w/o permission, but might pass on technical comments w/o checking first IF it was clear that it wasn't proprietary company information or some such. -- "1985: Why 1985 isn't like 1984" Rick Keir -- MicroComputer Information Center, MACC 1210 West Dayton St/U Wisconsin Madison/Mad WI 53706 {allegra, ihnp4, seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!rick
calway@ecsvax.UUCP (James Calloway) (02/28/85)
x
It's been a while since I studied communications law, but I don't believe there
is any legal restriction on a recipient's publishing of a letter unless the
contents of the letter are copyrighted. Newspapers do this all the time,
usually with at least the implicit permission of the sender, as in the
"Letters to the Editor" column.
Sometimes it goes further. For example, Sports Illustrated recently published
letters from college recruiters to basketball player Chris Washburn. I don't
know the details, but I doubt SI got permission from the recruiters.
Usually, of course, if a sender explicitly asks that a letter not be published,
the request is honored.
--
James Calloway
The News and Observer
Box 191
Raleigh, N.C. 27602
(919) 829-4570
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