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Purpose: This assignment will provide some knowledge of copyright protection as applied

to survey documents prepared by surveyors.

Background: Information from the following sources can be obtained from the internet:

A&M Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc.

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/when-paying-for-it-doesn-t-mean-you-own-34685/

https://www.lib.purdue.edu/uco/CopyrightBasics/fair use.html#factors

Assignment: Prepare a memo answering the following questions:

Question 1: Who owns the copyright of a subdivision plan that was prepared by the

surveyor but paid for by the client?

Question 2: Can there be copyright infringement of copyrighted survey plans when the

plans are available for digital view and downloading on the registry of deeds web site?

Question 3: Would a surveyor that downloads a copy of a subdivision plan in order to have

the boundary information to survey a lot on the plan fall under the fair use exception?

Question 4: Would a client that hires your firm to prepare a final plan that follows a

preliminary plan made by another surveyor violate the copyright of the surveyor who

prepared the preliminary plan?

Question 5: Which of the following surveying documents would likely enjoy copyright

protection (explain why or why not)?

1) Retracement Plat,

2) LOMA,

3) Subdivision Plan,

4) Site (Topographic) Map,

5) Easement & Road Design.

Fig: 1