Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Nevada

Is classroom material considered copyrighted?

I am a writer who participated in a basic Real Estate seminar of one month. The material was not unique as in ''How to make a million with no money down'' or similar coarses. The material just covers verbiage and knowledge required to pass the National and State of Nevada exams.

The only written material was Outline and sample quizzes, and I understand those materials should not be exactly reproduced. However, the approach in the class was thorough and I would like to put it into a How To book.

Since it is information that theoretically all Brokers should know, is it a violation for me to rework material gathered from my recordings?


Asked on 2/25/04, 10:57 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lawrence Graves Coolidge & Graves PLLC

Re: Is classroom material considered copyrighted?

The simple answer to your title question is "Yes" but your hypothetical is a bit different.

The distinction in copyright law is between the expression of a creator's idea and the idea itself; the former is protected while the latter is not. Thus, if you want to present exactly the same ideas from your seminar but do so entirely in your own words, you would have no copyright problem. Be careful to avoid using the same section titles and organization, too.

Best wishes,

LDWG

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Answered on 2/25/04, 12:11 pm


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