On Saturday, November 25, 2000, Peter Hirtle <[email protected]> wrote: > First, I think Cliff is wrong. It is only federal documents that are in > the public domain; state documents can be copyrighted by the individual > states, depending on the laws of that state. I was wondering about this, too. > I noticed the same thing on a Massachusetts death certificate, which > stated: IT IS ILLEGAL TO ALTER OR REPRODUCE > THIS DOCUMENT IN ANY MANNER. My best guess is that the enabling > legislation, which prohibits reproductions, was intended to prevent > fraud. In drafting it, though, the state legislature wrote with too broad > a pen. They wouldn't be the first to claim a copyright and associated > rights where none exists. Who says they are claiming copyright under the federal statute? They could have their own legislation governing just these documents, as you point out. S R C A cott obert ranston nderson [email protected]