[APG Public List] [APG Members] Obituaries and copyright

[Pat Asher]

At 04:56 PM 11/3/2009, Susan C. Fassbender wrote:

>Here in NE Wisconsin we write our own obituaries for family members. 
>It is a very personal thing, and you pay by the length, or number of 
>words, so how detailed you wish to make your obituary is at the 
>families discretion. There is also the option of the funeral home 
>using a template, and filling in the pertinent information for those 
>who choose not to write their own.

Susan,

That is the practice in much of the U.S., which goes back to the 
original question --

Does/can copyright exist in a boiler plate "obituary" created by 
either the funeral home, or by the newspaper, using facts supplied by 
the family?

If the family has contributed full text of an obituary, on what basis 
can the publishing newspaper claim copyright?

Pat