They’re not assholes. If this is the work of the federal gouvernment then they’re just following the law.
A work of the United States government is defined by the United States copyright law, as “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties”.[1] Under section 105 of the Copyright Act of 1976,[2] such works are not entitled to domestic copyright protection under U.S. law and are therefore in the public domain.
That law has exemptions (eg for the USPS). If they put zero effort into asking legislators to permit the IRS to ensure that the tax payers money doesn’t just turn into a subsidy for corporations, they’re assholes.
They’re not assholes. If this is the work of the federal gouvernment then they’re just following the law.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States
Did they even try to get the law changed?
That law has exemptions (eg for the USPS). If they put zero effort into asking legislators to permit the IRS to ensure that the tax payers money doesn’t just turn into a subsidy for corporations, they’re assholes.