Erin Best interviewed by CBC on copyright infringement of obituaries
St. John’s partner Erin Best was recently interviewed by CBC to discuss the copyright infringement that can occur when copying an obituary without permission.
Erin was interviewed in regards to a website that copied photos and obituaries from newspapers and funeral homes across the country to use for the commercial purpose of selling sympathy gifts or flowers. She notes that, while individuals may not realize, some obituaries are a form of short story, which means companies that copy and paste this text would be stepping over a legal line: “The way they are arranged, and the writing that connects the facts is subject to protection under the Copyright Act as a literary work.”