Expert: Dan Pepper - 8/27/2008

Question
Hi Dan, quick question for you, I hope you can help. I have a blog. It's my personal blog, for my personal use. Sometimes I find stories, videos, etc. that I think are excellent for one reason or another, so I'll post them on my blog (with full credits to the source, etc.).

But I'm tired of seeing things disappear from the net. Is it ok for me to archive certain things as long as I maintain the credit?

For example, let's say I find a great article on "XYZ.com". I'll post a link to it on my blog. A year later, "XYZ.com" fails to renew their domain, and the article is gone. Am I allowed to reprint the article on my own personal blog, while still providing a link to the original source?

I'm fuzzy on the copyright laws here, so I hope you can help. I never mean any malice by doing this, and as it's my own personal blog, I want the opportunity to come back to an article without worrying about it falling into the VOID.

Thanks Dan, I appreciate it!

Answer
Clint,

Copyrighted material cannot be reproduced or copied by third parties without the express written permission of the creator, even if you credit the creator on the reproduction.

You should always assume that any material you find on a website is subject to copyright protection, and should not be copied, reproduced, or distributed.

The exception to this rule is if the website owner specifically indicates in its website terms of use that its material can be copied or reproduced.