Question: I have found an old newspaper clipping from 1912 on Ancestry.com that I would like to print out and distribute. Am I legally allowed to do so, or is the clipping still held under copyright? Does the answer change if the newspaper is now defunct (The *San Francisco Call*)?

Answer: 
[The Legal Genealogist](http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2012/03/19/copyright-the-newspaper-article/) recently blogged on the topic of copyright and newspapers. However, you should also consult the terms and conditions of the website where you got the clipping. 

How do you intend to distribute it and how many copies do you want to make? Copyright prevents copying **without permission**, so you could ask for permission.
The problem is not the copyright it is the Terms of Service. The newspaper itself is out of copyright so if you had taken your own image of an original it would be legal to distribute without any concern. However the contract you enter into when you sign up for Ancestry allow you to use THEIR images of the original ONLY IN THE WAYS THEY APROVE! This is the contract you sign as a member. This usually does not allow for any republication or distribution of the image. This is because the access to these documents is the commodity that Ancestry sells. It wouldn't make any sense for them to allow you to share their images because what they want is for your entire family to purchase access to the site via their subscriptions.