Copyright is boring.  I know - changing the text and watching the response rates is much more interesting than learning about copyright.

But here's a point.  Every week my company finds itself chasing one or two companies over the use of our own mailing lists.  We are chasing because people are using our lists who don't seem to have the rights to use them.

So we write and say, "hey what's going on?  You didn't buy this list from us."

Once or twice we have been proven wrong - we have sold the list to the person in question - perhaps via a legitimate third party such as an advertising agency.

But most of the time we get scenarios like these

1.  Statements that the list was bought from another company - statements which turn out to be utterly untrue.

2.  Statements that the list was bought from "someone else" (possibly someone overseas) and a total lack of information to back up who this "someone else" is, where they got the information from, and when they got it.

3.  Statements that the list was purchased from us perhaps for once only use, and then kept on computer, and then re-used "by mistake".

Assuming for the moment that the people we are dealing with here are not utter crooks, what is clear is that the issue of list copyright is one that is not taken very seriously at the moment.

I can't speak for any other companies, but I can say that we have now started to tighten up on this quite a lot - and those people who are using our lists without a licence from us are now being pursued.  The statement that "I don't know who we bought this from, we buy in so many lists" is not being accepted as an excuse - because it is everyone's duty to keep proper details of the business transactions they undertake.

Likewise we are getting tougher on people who leave lists on their computer long after the licence has run out.  It is of course fair enough to keep a copy - but not in a place where it is possible to re-run it by mistake.  (A CD tucked away in the safe seems a better idea).

So what does all this have to do with a website based around 100 Ways of raising response rates?   

The answer is, mailing lists have a part to play in raising response rates, and it is frightening to think that so many companies pay so little attention to their response rates that they don't quite know what they have got and where they got it from.

Free analysis of your mailshot

This article is written by Tony Attwood, Chairman of Hamilton House Mailings Ltd.  If you would like to discuss the writing or design of your mailing campaign, or indeed a single mailshot, with Tony, without cost or obligation, just call 01536 399 000, or email Creative@hamilton-house.com   You can also send Tony a copy of your latest advert and he will call you back with his thoughts on how your response rate could be raised - again without cost or obligation.