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"Copyright 2017 DemandRush" - I'm always surprised when I see these types of statements on US based websites. In Europe, this would make no sense. A website is

by TekMol 9y ago

"Copyright 2017 DemandRush" - I'm always surprised when I see these types of statements on US based websites. In Europe, this would make no sense. A website is not a legal entity, so it can not be a copyright holder. Does the statement make more sense in the US, or is it just a common misconception among people who build websites? The terms page says "Welcome to DemandRush, a website and online service of Grafly, Inc". So I would expect the real copyright holder is Grafly Inc?

biztos 9y ago
IANAL etc. but I do think it's a common misunderstanding / wishful thinking in the US (where I'm from). In the US you can just "be a company" if you want (with no liability protection), that's between you and the tax man... but if you want to give the operation a name other than your own, you have to register that name (they call it "DBA" for "Doing Business As")[0]. But at least as far back as the early 90's it's been common to put "(c) MyCoolDomainName.com" on a web site, and I'm pretty sure most people mean "copyright ME until/unless I get around to making a business out of this, and if I do then copyright whatever business ends up owning the domain name." And I would assume, though again IANAL, that's not quite what it really means. Unlike, say, Germany, the US has no requirement for anything like an "Impressum" for a web site. Nor could it, really, due to the constitution. (But I Am also Not A Supreme Court Justice so my interpretation of the constitution may be less sticky than others'.) [0]: https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/choose-register-your-business/register-your-business-name https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/choose-register-your-b...
- polshaw 9y ago
  Copyright is an automatic right however, so AFAICT it makes no difference legally if you claim it or not or under what moniker. At best it serves as a reminder to the reader.

by TekMol 9y ago

biztos 9y ago

IANAL etc. but I do think it's a common misunderstanding / wishful thinking in the US (where I'm from). In the US you can just "be a company" if you want (with no liability protection), that's between you and the tax man... but if you want to give the operation a name other than your own, you have to register that name (they call it "DBA" for "Doing Business As")[0]. But at least as far back as the early 90's it's been common to put "(c) MyCoolDomainName.com" on a web site, and I'm pretty sure most people mean "copyright ME until/unless I get around to making a business out of this, and if I do then copyright whatever business ends up owning the domain name." And I would assume, though again IANAL, that's not quite what it really means. Unlike, say, Germany, the US has no requirement for anything like an "Impressum" for a web site. Nor could it, really, due to the constitution. (But I Am also Not A Supreme Court Justice so my interpretation of the constitution may be less sticky than others'.) [0]: https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/choose-register-your-business/register-your-business-name https://www.sba.gov/starting-business/choose-register-your-b...

polshaw 9y ago
Copyright is an automatic right however, so AFAICT it makes no difference legally if you claim it or not or under what moniker. At best it serves as a reminder to the reader.