Copyright Question - Need Help

[FanofBurntOrange]

Fellow lurkers and posters, I have a question; what are the laws/rules regarding reprinting an article?

Here is my specific example: Let's say I had a weekly newspaper and saw an interesting article on the web and wanted to reprint it in it's entirety. Could I do this as long as I gave proper credit to the source? If so, what would stop everyone from doing this on a regular basis? What would the repercussions be?

Just curious and thank you for your help in advance. If you don't want to post your reply but have some ideas, please send me a pm.

 

[Zone Read]

Although I'm an Intellectual Property attorney, I don't do a lot of copyright. That being said, it may depend on your use. There are several exceptions under the "Fair Use Doctrine" that allow you to use copyrighted material. What's your specific purpose?

 

[FanofBurntOrange]

Zone Read - I just sent you a pm...