A U.S. company marketing its product to Kootenay residents has been raising questions among newspaper readers.
“It has come to our attention that a company by the name of That’s Great News has been approaching customers who have had stories in our papers,” said Chuck Bennett, group publisher for Black Press in the Kootenays. “This is obvious copyright infringement.”
That’s Great News contacts people who have been featured in newspaper stories, offering to create a plaque that includes the story, with the newspaper’s logo at the top. The cost is $179.
“We have had feedback from our customers wondering about this,” said Bennett. “We want them to know that this has nothing to do with Black Press and is actually an infringement on our copyright.”
Bennett also asks that anyone receiving this type of request contacts the paper right away.
“We are looking into our legal rights to protect our copyright so we would really appreciate hearing from people who are contacted,” he said.
“We have traditionally been very generous in sharing our copyrighted material with readers,” Advance publisher Lorne Eckersley said. “But it is an important reminder that copyright infringement occurs when permission has not been granted by the copyright holder.
“I invite our readers to contact me directly if they are approached by That’s Great News, or any other company that wishes to use the material our staff produces.”