Copyright law is a very complex subject so it will be an oversimplification in the extreme but BASICALLY the reason the LDS (or anyone else for that matter) is able to copyright something like the US Census records is that they have (by microfilming and indexing them) added "value" to them. They don't "own" the copyright to the actual census records but they do own the copyright to their films and to their indexes for these records. Copyright allows them to charge for access to these records then if they so desire (the LDS besides a very low rental fee does NOT charge for their copies of the US Census records; Ancestry.com on the other hand positively gouges everyone for access to their online copies and indexes for these records!) So that is how and why a company or a church or an individual can copyright what are basically public records that really 'belong' to us all as US Citizens. Capiche? -------------- Original message from crazyangel25@webtv.net: -------------- <snip> > As far as copyright. how can one copyright something they got from > public resources? I feel they are my families records they belong my > the family, > Cris