FACTS:        

An Arizona REALTOR® intends to provide blank copies of several Arizona REALTORS^® standard real estate forms to a friend seeking to sell their own home without the assistance of licensed Arizona real estate professional. Because the REALTOR® printed the forms from her zipForm® account, the REALTOR’s® name and the name of her brokerage appear on the bottom of each form.

ISSUE:          

Before providing the blank forms to her friend, the REALTOR® asked whether she should remove her contact information from the footer of the forms.

ANSWER:

See Discussion.

DISCUSSION:

The first thing the REALTOR® should know is that by providing blank copies of Arizona REALTOR® forms to her non-licensed friend, the REALTOR® is violating federal copyright law. This is the case regardless of whether her name appears on the bottom of the forms.

Arizona REALTORS® standard real estate forms are federally registered with the United States Copyright Office and protected under federal copyright laws. As a result, Arizona REALTORS® holds the copyright and exclusive right to all Arizona REALTOR® branded forms. Arizona REALTORS® grants members an individual license to use Arizona REALTOR® forms in connection with their real estate transactions. However, members are strictly prohibited from reproducing or distributing blank forms without Arizona REALTORS® permission.

Note:  Arizona REALTORS® forms are a valuable member benefit. Arizona REALTORS® therefore aggressively pursues and protects its copyrighted forms. Click here for more information on the importance of Arizona REALTORS® copyrights.