Can I import Press Releases from any source?

are there copyright restrictions

[John_Shaw]

I don't like opening the business section of the paper and seeing what I know is a press release from a company printed verbatim, passed off as news.

However, there are times when a company or organization's press release is worth publishing (at least on my web site), typically because of an important announcement of interest to my readers.

When I see press release is it OK, from a copyright consideration, to put it on a news section of my site without having to contact the company or organization to specifically ask permission? There will be other content and advertising on the page and the press release will be clearly identified as such. I would use relavent paragraphs, leaving off the stuff at the bottom about press contacts, etc.

Is permission to reprint implied in a press release? There is no (c) notice on the press release itself.

[engine]

Was it sent to you for your site's consumption? If so, the answer is yes, it's ok.

[John_Shaw]

Was it sent to you for your site's consumption?

No. These are on the companies' own web sites, in the press section.

[mack]

Perhaps you should contact their press office and ask then specificaly what they will allow you to publish.

Mack.

[engine]

It's rather risky to take material from other sites. I don't recommend it, even if it was a press release.

Encourage the companies to contribute the material directly to you for your site.

[sem4u]

It is best to get permission first. Maybe you would like the company to add you to their press list?

[rogerd]

If you pull the press release from the company's site, and use it in a fashion that isn't misleading, confusing, derogatory, etc., I think you are OK. I.e., if you have a content site about widgets and add WidgetUSA's release about their new line of chrome widgets, they'll be happy to have you do it. In that case, I wouldn't bother asking for permission, although I might drop them a note with the article URL after it was up. (You never know, they might throw a link to your site in their "Recent Press Coverage" section!)

However, if you are selling a competitive product, or your site has some purpose at odds with the firm in question, it could be a bit stickier. They still might not be able to stop you from republishing their release, but they might be able to make life difficult for you.

In general, a firm that issues a press release to everyone that wants it has little expectation of controlling the use of the release text in the traditional copyright sense. Their bigger worry is likely to be editors that rewrite the story (getting stuff wrong, or omitting important marketing points); someone reprinting the release verbatim, or nearly so, is usually considered a plus.

[BaseVinyl]

For the amount of time it takes to fire off an email to them and ask permission it's worth it. Someone had to write it in the first place so asking their permission is common courtesy, either that or just link to the page where the press release is. I always try and treat original copy like I would want mine to be treated.
:)