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
1 Answer from Attorneys
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