Legal Definitions - Publish

In a legal context, to publish means to make information, content, or a document known or available to others. This can involve making something widely accessible to the general public, or in specific legal situations, it can refer to making something known to even a single individual beyond the creator.

Here are some examples illustrating different ways the term "publish" applies:

• General Public Distribution: A local chef creates a collection of unique recipes and decides to share them with a wider audience. She compiles the recipes into a cookbook, which is then printed and sold through bookstores and online platforms.

  How this illustrates "publish": By making her cookbook available for purchase and reading by anyone interested, the chef has published her work. She has circulated and distributed her content to the general public, making it accessible to a broad audience.

• Defamation Context: During a community meeting, a disgruntled neighbor, Mr. Henderson, falsely tells another attendee, Ms. Rodriguez, that the local mayor has been embezzling public funds. Mr. Henderson knows this accusation is untrue.

  How this illustrates "publish": Even though Mr. Henderson only communicated the false statement to one other person (Ms. Rodriguez), he has legally published the defamatory remark. In the context of defamation, making a false and damaging statement known to any third party, beyond the person being defamed, constitutes publication.

• Wills Context: An elderly woman, Mrs. Davies, is finalizing her Last Will and Testament. In the presence of her two witnesses and her attorney, she signs the document and explicitly states, "This is my last will and testament, and I declare it to be my true and final wishes for the distribution of my estate."

  How this illustrates "publish": By clearly declaring the document as her will in front of the required witnesses, Mrs. Davies has legally published her will. This act formally acknowledges and validates the document as her genuine expression of testamentary intent, ensuring it is recognized as such by law.