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I have a part-time job at a small publishing company located in the United States (California) where I basically upload articles that they have written onto some of their paid subscription websites (user pays for a subscription to read the articles). Recently they have been asking me to copy and paste articles from popular news sites and upload them onto their paid subscription websites without even acknowledging the original site or writer.

The other day I saw an email on the business owner's computer, regarding legal advice for a copyright infringement case involving the business.

So now I'm worried that they are getting sued and, since I'm the one who has actually been uploading these articles, that I might get into some serious legal trouble. For someone in college the last thing I want to be involved in is a lengthy legal case.

What could be the legal implications for myself? Should I just leave the job, or would that make the problem worse?

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1 Answers1

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Under the doctrine of respondeat superior: If you are an employee then you are afforded protection from personal liability for activities carried out at the direction of your employer.

Even if you are not a formal employee a court considers the nature of your business relationship in determining whether to apply respondeat superior (which means, "let the master answer").

However, violating copyright can get you in trouble even when it is unwitting, and even when you don't profit by it. In your particular situation only a lawyer could determine whether your employment agreement contains adequate personal indemnification against a situation that you rightfully suspect has the potential to get legally perilous.

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