# Copyright Question **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 22, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332 "2002-12-22T05:58:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332/1 "2002-12-22T05:58:01Z")
At the bottom of this and every page, it says: > [@](#): > > Contents of the Straight Dope Message Board and the Straight Dope Web site are copyright 1984-2002 by the Chicago Reader, Inc. All rights reserved. So which particular bit of the board is copyright 1984 ? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332/2 "2002-12-22T06:14:25Z")
The first Straight Dope book was originally published in 1984. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332/3 "2002-12-22T07:13:06Z")
But what about 1973-1984? That isn’t copyrighted/owned by the Chicago Reader? Are the older articles under another copyright? Did [www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com) only appear on the web in 1984? That seems REALLY early technology-wise, at least to me, and even then, they show articles that are older. Now I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332/4 "2002-12-22T10:43:47Z")
I think this statement at the bottom of the main page: > [@](#): > > Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Chicago Reader, Inc. All rights reserved. > No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written permission. pretty well covers it, **mnemosyne**. The site seems to have started in 1996, and the copyright is renewed each succeeding year. All material on the site, doesn’t matter when first written, comes under that copyright. On top of that, the _Chicago Reader_ have had full copyright over each article Cecil has written since 1973 (WooHoo! Next year’s the 30th anniversary! Cool!) as each one was published. No need for concern. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-question/144332/5 "2002-12-23T16:22:39Z")
Not so much concern as just confusion. I starting thinking too hard and hurt my brain, though I really don’t know ANYTHING about copyright law to begin with. It isn’t easy thinking about something you don’t know anything about! 😃 Thanks for cleaing it up, though!