On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 2:37 PM, WJhonson@aol.com wrote:
No it is not illegal to claim copyright over something to which you don't own copyright. If you believe it is illegal, then perhaps you could cite the law that states that, so we can review it. If you have to prove "intent to deceive" than I would suggest that the law you are thinking of, does not specify copyright at all, but is more general.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/17/chapters/5/sections/sectio...
"(c) Fraudulent Copyright Notice. - Any person who, with fraudulent intent, places on any article a notice of copyright or words of the same purport that such person knows to be false, or who, with fraudulent intent, publicly distributes or imports for public distribution any article bearing such notice or words that such person knows to be false, shall be fined not more than $2,500."
My inexpert opinion is that convincing someone that they are required to pay you to use the material bearing the false copyright notice would be fraudulent intent, though I could be wrong.