{"id":4381,"date":"2018-09-07T13:03:52","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T17:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newswire.com\/blog\/?p=4381"},"modified":"2025-08-01T16:44:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T20:44:55","slug":"are-press-releases-copyrighted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newswire.com\/blog\/are-press-releases-copyrighted","title":{"rendered":"Are Press Releases Copyrighted?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press releases and whether they are actually copyrighted have become a recent topic of discussion. This is an interesting question, as journalists derive information from press releases to create content and meet strict deadlines.<\/p>\n

\"email-press-release\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The concern over plagiarism<\/a> and search engine optimization (SEO) is whether a press release is copyrighted and what constitutes fair use.<\/p>\n

Is a press release copyrighted?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The short answer is yes. A person writes a press release on behalf of a company.<\/p>\n

Given this, copyright does not cover facts, figures, or statistics. Cite the information’s original source when writing an article about a press release.<\/p>\n

The work of the modern journalist<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Certain news outlets have recently fired staff for using press releases without any significant alterations or citations. Therefore, the feeling here is that it is not just plagiarism but a breach of contract.<\/p>\n

Plagiarism is the theft of a written work with the intention to deceive others by trying to pass it off as their own. This is a crime and can result in litigation.<\/p>\n

In terms of breach of contract, a journalist lifting an entire press release without any changes is seen as not fulfilling their professional obligation. The work is not a piece of original content; it is the work of a corporate marketer.<\/p>\n

Obviously, theft is an issue, but there are other issues to consider due to the nature of the internet and search engine practices.<\/p>\n

Duplicate content<\/strong><\/h3>\n

To demonstrate, an online periodical needs readers, and they may run ads on their site or charge a subscription. Whether the website runs pay-per-view (PPV) ads or pay-per-click (PPC) ads, generating traffic is the main goal.<\/p>\n

However, Google has recently imposed a duplicate content penalty. The first page of a search engine’s results ranks content based on a variety of factors. The lower a website’s ranking, the less likely it is to receive traffic.<\/p>\n

If every journalist were to copy a press release word-for-word, only one would be a winner. The rest would miss out on subscribers and ad revenue. Creating original content and citing the press release would help increase traffic and improve search result rankings.<\/p>\n

No matter how perfect a press release is, journalists should quote, cite, and re-write.<\/p>\n

To learn more about our press release distribution services, contact us today!<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Press releases and whether they are actually copyrighted have become a recent topic of discussion. This is an interesting question, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4606,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1009],"tags":[1992,1076,1081],"class_list":["post-4381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-are-press-releases-copyrighted","tag-copyright","tag-journalist"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAre Press Releases Copyrighted? What You Need to Know | Newswire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unravel the intricacies of copyright and press releases with Newswire. 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