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Permalink Reply by Margaret McKeown on October 13, 2013 at 9:38pm

Who would own the copyright to content put on 'Find a grave'? I have put a number of ancestors on this site and have included text from a future family history book I intend to publish. Is this material still mine?

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Founding MemberPermalink Reply by Nollaig 2016 on October 14, 2013 at 10:16pm

All good questions Margaret.  We should all keep an eye on this and post an article if need be.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Fortin Jackson on December 10, 2013 at 12:30am

Margaret…You retain the copyright to whatever you post on these sites.  Both Find A Grave and Ancestry, like many similar sites where users contribute content, consider themselves "distributors" of the material, rather than owners or copyright holders.  They do this for the simple reason that they can disavow liability in the case of copyright infringement, libel, or other civil claims that may arise from the content posted by third-party users of their site.  "Not my fault…we just supply the forum, not the content."

Of course, there are probably elements that they do retain copyright to, involving the areas of their site that display content that they created…but as to your question…the copyright is still yours.  Same goes for photographs that you might post on these sites.  Of course, that doesn't prevent people from misappropriating your work. You run that risk anytime you post anything online.  I can't even begin to tell you how many of my photographer friends have had their photos stolen and posted elsewhere…with someone else taking the credit.  It's rampant.  And very difficult to combat unless you have the time to hunt them down one by one, send cease and desist letters, and then follow up as necessary.  I never post anything online that I'm concerned someone will nick.  The photos I post on Facebook, WG, etc., I'm not worried about.  My portfolio is locked down on a professional photography website, which is about as safe as it gets online.  Even then, there's still the chance.

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Permalink Reply by Margaret McKeown on December 10, 2013 at 6:30am

Thank you Lisa.

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Permalink Reply by Rose Maurer on November 3, 2013 at 4:29am

Thank you Belinda! The cynic in me suspects that there will be a fee to pay . . .

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