Interviewee Oral History Agreement

[Transfer of Rights to the Public Domain]

1. In consideration of the recording, transcription, cataloging, and preservation of my oral history 

memoir by the ______________________________________ [name of court or agency], its 

employees and agents, I, ______________________________________ [name of interviewee] 

do hereby relinquish and transfer to the ______________________________________ [name 

of court or agency], and thus to the public domain, the ownership of the recordings and 

transcripts of interviews of me as described below, except as otherwise provided herein. I also 

convey to the ______________________________________ [name of court or agency], and 

thus to the public domain, all rights, title, and interest I might have in such recordings, 

transcripts and their content, including copyrights, and waive any copyright I might have to such 

recordings, transcripts and content, except as otherwise provided below.

2. I reserve the right to use the recordings and transcripts and their content as a resource for any 

book, pamphlet, article or other writing of which I am an author or co-author. 

3. I warrant that I have not assigned, encumbered or impaired my rights and interest in the 

recordings, transcripts and their content referred to above. This warranty shall not apply to 

information in the interview that may be contained in a prior published work of mine.

4. It is agreed that access to the aforementioned recordings and transcripts shall be available to 

researchers under the direction and control of the ________________________________ 

[name of court or agency]. I authorize the ______________________________________ [name 

of court or agency], subject to the following restrictions, to duplicate, edit, publish, or permit 

the use of my oral history memoir in any manner that the 

______________________________________ [name of court or agency] considers appropriate, 

and I waive my claim to any royalties from that use.

Description of material: Recordings and transcripts from oral history interview sessions with 

______________________________________ [name of interviewee] conducted by 

______________________________________ [name of interviewer] on _________________ 

[date(s)].

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Exceptions to Oral History Agreement (Please initial all that apply, if any)

A. _____ None of the recordings or transcripts shall be made available to anyone other than 

myself, the interviewer, and the ______________________________________ [name of 

court or agency] without my express written permission until 

______________________________________ [identify date or event], whichever first 

occurs.

B. _____ The following page(s) of the transcript _________________ [list page numbers], and 

the recordings relating thereto, shall be closed to all users until 

______________________________________ [identify date or event], except with my 

express written permission.

C. _____ It is agreed that the ______________________________________ [name of court or 

agency] shall not authorize publication of the transcripts or any part thereof during my 

lifetime without my express written permission, but that the 

______________________________________ [name of court or agency] may authorize 

scholars, researchers, and others to make reasonable quotations therefrom without my 

written permission.

D. _____ It is agreed that the ______________________________________ [name of court or 

agency] shall not authorize publication by others of the transcripts or any part thereof 

including brief quotations, during my lifetime without my express written permission.

E. _____ I retain all of my right, title, and interest in the recordings and transcripts and their 

content, including literary rights and copyrights, until 

______________________________________ [identify date or event], at which time these 

rights shall vest in the ______________________________________ [name of court or 

agency].

F. _____ In the event of my incapacity, I designate 

______________________________________ [name] of 

______________________________________ [address] to make decisions related to the 

oral history. Upon the incapacity of this designee, I authorize the 

______________________________________ [name of court or agency] to make such 

decisions on my behalf. 

G. _____ I impose the following conditions: [describe]

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______________________________ __________________

Signature of Interviewee Date

State of __________________________

County of ________________________

The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this _________ day of ______________ 

[month], _______ [year], by ____________________________ [name of interviewee].

_____________________________

Notary Public

My commission expires ______________________

Accepted this _________ day of ______________ [month], _______ [year], by 

____________________________ [authorized representative of court or agency].