Are you talking about press releases?
They are MEANT to be copied. You make a press release to spread the word about something. You WANT as many places as possible to use it, or to base an article on it.
News articles are usually copyrighted and you can “announce ” them, i.e. show your readers a part and LINK to the original. Thats what most blogs, message boards and sites will do. Or you can write your own story about the topic.
“Free articles” usually come with an embedded link you must use. They are the current fad for gaining links, and they are written with the intent of having as many sites as possible use them, keeping the link intact.
Articles individuals or companies write exclusively for their site are copyrighted and you cannot copy them, you can announce them and link to them as the news articles. This is a treacherous territory though and often it is wise to not copy any of it and just mention it and link to it.
I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. Online copyright is a bit tricky and there are lawyers specializing in it. You are probably ok following the rule of thumb above, but you should consult an online copyright lawyer if you plan to use any materials written by others or if you discover someone used your writings.
I have been sued over this (not in this industry) and I also have sued someone over it. If you always respect people’s rights to their own work, you will be ok. If you take what others wrote, even with small alterations, and publish it as your own content without permission or links, it’s plagiarism and the laws do have a thing to say about that.
Again, this can be a slippery slope and if in doubt, ask a lawyer.
