🚀 go-pugleaf

In the referenced article, emcguire@intellection.com (Ed McGuire) writes:
> As I understand U.S. law, letters are also the property of the person
> who received them.  However, the author still holds the copyright,
> just as for any other creative work.  In the U.S., the person who
> received the letter may thus make copies for personal use only.
> Publishing the letter would be a violation of copyright law, and
> potentially grounds for a lawsuit.

Correct, however, as it is often necessary to point out, this only
applies to the intellectual property rights in the letter, and does not
extend to the information contained in it.  Absent any
confidential/fiduciary relationship with the sender, or any agreemnt
not to do so (e.g., trade secret or nondisclosure agreement), the
recipient is perfectly free to disclose the contents of the letter or
any other information contained in it.  Copyright law only protects
intellectual property rights in particular fixed forms of expression --
not ideas, information, or facts.

--
Michael C. Berch
Member of the California Bar
mcb@presto.ig.com / mcb@net.bio.net