on my website i am selling these houses and part of the website includes information on the local area. in that section i have a medical care page where i've featured a medical center very closeby. the medical center has just recently opened and released a brochure/pamphlet type thing with all the facilities etc. so my question is this: am i free to publish this information on my website? they dont have a website at the moment, dont know if they ever will, so i cant link to it. so would iit be ok for me to include the info on my site with a disclaimer at the end that goes something like: we are not affiliated with (name of hospital) and the information here is stated only for general information purposes. please contact (name of hospital) for more details. and then i can scan the brochure and link to it so it can be viewed in its original context. is this ok? thanks to anyone who can answer!
Your best option is to contact the medical center and tell them what you are doing and ask them for the permission to use the contents. I am pretty sure they are the best people who knows the answer.
If they wrote that anywhere on the brochure, yes. If not, you are morally obliged to contact them and ask their permission. That's my recommendation.
No. That facility probably paid a copywriter thousands of dollars to create that piece. I'm pretty sure they won't take kindly to someone ripping it off. You need to contact the facility and get written permission.
hm, well actually on the brochure its just a list of their facilities and equipment. no sales copy. so im thinking this is just general information, public domain. am i not allowed to post that for "educational purposes" or whatnot to inform visitors of my site of whats available there? but their copy no? my own copy yes? then if i want to put a photo, i definitely need to ask permission?
Guess you dont own rights to that piece of information. I am sure if you are using this for "educational purposes" - the center would be happy to oblige you !
thats what i was thinking. its information right so public domain? its not like they own the right to say they have 4D ultrasound technology.. is it?
Doesn't matter. They still own the copyright to the words in that pamphlet. If you take the picture you can post it, as far as I'm aware. If someone else took it you will need written permission.
Just because the text doesn't say "GIVE US MONEY" doesn't mean the company didn't pay for someone to build the document.
yeah ok, they made the leaflet, im not taking it. they listed their equipment, they dont own those words do they? they dont own the copyright of the name of a certain machine do they?
You can rewrite something in your own words, including the names of equipment, just don't copy what they wrote without their permission.
how can i rewrite the names of the equipment? those are their names, their brand, make, version etc. can i write the names and then give my own definitions? that would be ok right?
I meant you could rewrite their brochure AND include the names of the equipment- even if the equipment was their own and trademarked. If they go into a detailed description of the equipment, I would rewrite that. You are allowed to use trademarked terms (ipod, coke, etc) as long as their in no confusion that you are associated with them. This isn't going to be a problem since you don't sell that type of equipment and don't operate a similar business. While you need permission to use someone elses photographs or artwork, you could even take your own picture of the medical center and use it.
thank you mjewel! i'll just do that, put the equipment with a sentence or two about what they do. maybe i'll put a pic, but if i do, i'll take my own.
contact the medical center and tell them what you are doing and ask them for the permission to use the contents. they may permit u to use content from their brochure on ur site have a nice day