Legal Question in Technology Law in Virginia

Federal law affecting the copying of documents

I want to copy my fathers military service and dicharge papers,birth and death certificates to disc. He's been dead for 40 years. A provider of such a copy services tells me it's against a federal law. This has something to do with the selling of copies of legal documents.

Is this true?

Can I get the legal ability to do it from some source?Thank you


Asked on 12/17/01, 9:03 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Lawrence Graves Coolidge & Graves PLLC

Re: Federal law affecting the copying of documents

Some of these copy service outfits have absurd policies. For example, we recently wanted to make color photocopies of a work that had passed into the public domain because the original copyright was never renewed. The copy services demanded that our paralegal sign a form, but the form had no option for copying public domain works -- lots of other options, but not that one. I called the service, and they didn't even know that there WAS such a thing as a work in the public domain!

I cannot fathom what your copy service is thinking of in this case. Keep trying; ultimately, you may have to find a friend with a scanner and CD writer to get this done. Good grief!

Best wishes,

LDWG

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Answered on 12/18/01, 10:45 am


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