Genealogy and Copyright Rights

By Lorelle VanFossen
Categories: Genealogy Techniques

Kimberly Powell of About Genealogy asks and answers a good question: “Can You Copyright Your Family Tree?”

One subject which is always good for a passionate discussion among genealogists is the issue of copyright laws as they pertain to genealogy. Some feel the family data they compile and place in GEDCOM files or on the Web is protected by copyright. Others are of the opinion that everything genealogy-related on the Internet is public information and free for the taking. The remaining genealogists cover the spectrum of opinions between the two extremes…

Copyright law in the U.S. does not protect data, only the presentation of the data. This is an important point for genealogists, because it means that facts (names, dates, places, etc.) presented in a standard format, such as a pedigree chart or GEDCOM file, are not protected by copyright. However, if you take this data and present it in your own unique format, such as a narrative, then the presentation of the material is protected by copyright, even when the facts are not.

For more information on copyrights and genealogy research, data, and publication of your family history information, see:

Article Information

Genealogy and Copyright Rights is Issue Number 192 published October 22, 2006, by Lorelle VanFossen. This is just one of many articles found in the Genealogy Techniques categories. Lorelle VanFossen writes for a variety of blogs, websites, ezines, and print publications. She also teaches and does a lot of public speaking internationally on photography, writing, blogging, web page design and development, and more. She and her husband and cat(s) travel full-time across North American and the rest of the world by RV, planes, trains, automobiles, and foot, writing and photographing their travels and nature, when they can find it. Lorelle VanFossen has written 231 articles for our our family history blog.

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One Response to “Genealogy and Copyright Rights”

  1. Welcome and Introduction | Halls Of Bristol County Says:
    May 24th, 2008 at 8:07 am

    […] Welcome to Halls of Bristol County, the blog. Information on this blog is offered to assist others in their research of the Halls of Bristol County. Much work has gone into this blog. When citing any of the material published on this site, you must provide proper credit to the site and a link back to http://www.hallsofbristolcounty.com. All other use must be approved in writing. All Rights Reserved and Copyrighted. For more information on copyright protection of genealogical data, please refer to Lorelle VanFossen’s article. […]

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