Is a letter posted to the Web considered an “open letter?” Can it be republished without the authors permission?
Unless the author notes otherwise (in a statement such as, “I hereby dedicate this work to the public domain”), all works on the Web are protected by copyright just as print works would be, from the moment of their fixation in a tangible medium of expression. Thus, a user would need permission from the author to republish a work. Our ability to use Web documents in the normal fashion, that is to browse them, to download personal copies and perhaps to forward a copy to a friend, hinges on the terms of an implied license. Implied licenses are based on the reasonable expectations of the owner of the work. It is reasonable to expect the actions mentioned in this paragraph. It is not reasonable to expect to see your letter published in the New York Times, unless you sent it to the New York Times yourself. 6. Is it ok to copy a news article that was posted to a site like America Online or to a public electronic newstand and distribute it to a listserv for whose subscribers the article would
