- Joined
- Nov 11, 2011
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Hi. New member here. I've discovered that some articles I wrote 11 years ago are on the internet and some websites are selling access to the articles for $5 or so.
My name is on the articles, but the copyright is listed as belonging to the publisher and/or various other organizations like Gale Group and Gale Cengage Learning.
One of the articles is also on Amazon for $5.95.
Apparently the magazines sold the rights to these groups. I was not aware when I sold the articles that I was giving up my copyright forever and don't recall signing anything to that effect. I thought I was selling them 1st North American serial rights only.
I sent emails a week ago to the magazines asking for clarification about who owns my copyright and why they are continuing to make money from my writing without compensating me. They haven't replied.
I rather doubt that many people have paid for access to the articles but really don't know. But I still don't know whether i own the rights to my own articles or not.
Is it possible that I gave the magazines ownership of the copyrights to my articles forever without even signing a contract? Is this the norm in the magazine world?
One of the articles was reprinted in a book and I did receive an honorarium for that. I remember the author contacted me personally. I also sold second serial rights to a few publications after the original magazines ran the pieces. That's why I suspect that I, not the magazines, own the copyrights.
But do I? And what would you do about this situation?
Thanks for your thoughts.
My name is on the articles, but the copyright is listed as belonging to the publisher and/or various other organizations like Gale Group and Gale Cengage Learning.
One of the articles is also on Amazon for $5.95.
Apparently the magazines sold the rights to these groups. I was not aware when I sold the articles that I was giving up my copyright forever and don't recall signing anything to that effect. I thought I was selling them 1st North American serial rights only.
I sent emails a week ago to the magazines asking for clarification about who owns my copyright and why they are continuing to make money from my writing without compensating me. They haven't replied.
I rather doubt that many people have paid for access to the articles but really don't know. But I still don't know whether i own the rights to my own articles or not.
Is it possible that I gave the magazines ownership of the copyrights to my articles forever without even signing a contract? Is this the norm in the magazine world?
One of the articles was reprinted in a book and I did receive an honorarium for that. I remember the author contacted me personally. I also sold second serial rights to a few publications after the original magazines ran the pieces. That's why I suspect that I, not the magazines, own the copyrights.
But do I? And what would you do about this situation?
Thanks for your thoughts.