Copyright Procedures and Guidelines for OA-Owned Material (Copyright)

All OA literature, including digital media, is protected under US copyright law, and the copyrights are owned by Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. No one, including OA members, groups, or service bodies, can legally reprint or reproduce digital media or excerpts from OA literature or material without written permission from the World Service Office. (See exceptions below.) All reprinted or reproduced OA-owned material must include an OA copyright credit. See the Reprint Permission Form for additional policies.

To apply for reprint permission, use this form:

Allow 10 working days for approval. You will receive the form back from the World Service Office affixed with the managing director’s signature, indicating permission has been granted.

Procedures and Guidelines for OA Trademarks (Logos)

OA, Inc. owns the trademarks for the names “Overeaters Anonymous” and “OA”, the logo art, and the logotype. To use an OA trademark, your group’s registration number or service body’s registered name must be printed directly below the trademark to distinguish it from material originating from world service. It is essential the registration mark ® appears with OA’s trademarks. Any registered OA service body may apply for blanket permission. It is the responsibility of the service body to renew its trademark-use permission after the expiration date. See the Logo Request Form for additional policies.

To apply for trademark-use permission, use this form:

Allow ten working days for approval. You will receive the form back from the World Service Office affixed with the managing director’s signature, indicating permission has been granted.

Items not needing written permission

All registered OA groups and service bodies have permission to reprint or translate and reprint any OA print material currently on the OA website (downloadable PDF files or text) without having to submit a written request to the World Service Office. The materials listed below may also be reprinted or translated and reprinted without written permission. Reprinted items must be used in a manner consistent with OA’s mission of carrying our message of recovery to those suffering from compulsive eating and compulsive eating behaviors.

When reprinting OA website material, use one of these copyright credits:

  • When reprinting English-language OA material, cite the source and include the following: “[Source] © Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.”
  • When reprinting translated OA material cite the source and include the following in the language of the translation: “This is a translation of OA-approved [source]. © [date of translation] Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.”

Registered OA groups and service bodies may also reprint these items without written permission:

When reprinting free downloaded material from the OA website, remember these documents are updated often. If your group or service body posts or distributes a free download, we encourage you to check oa.org regularly for updated material.

Translation Permission

All registered OA groups and service bodies have permission to translate and reprint any OA document or text currently on the OA website. Permission includes the right to distribute automatically translated material and the right to correct errors in automatic translations. Translation corrections should be as close as possible to the meaning of the original English text, with nothing added or omitted.

  • Translated materials must include this statement in the language of the translation: “This is a translation of OA-approved literature. © Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.”

To translate OA documents with significant graphic design, see Free Licensed Images, Translation, and Graphic Design Platform for Intergroups and Service Boards Registered as Nonprofits/Charities.

Groups and service bodies that translate OA literature and material are required to provide a digital copy of the published translation to the World Service Office. The digital copy can be in PDF or text format and should include the English-language name of the translated material, the language of translation, and the group’s or service body’s name and registration number.

Lifeline Content Not Needing Written Permission

Registered OA groups and service bodies may also reprint or translate and reprint Lifeline recovery content (member-submitted articles and images) without written permission under these terms:

  • The reprinted content is from a past edition of print Lifeline or currently posted on Lifeline: Stories of Recovery (lifeline.oa.org and oalifeline.org).
  • The reprinted content is for limited personal and/or group use. Specifically:
    • The reprinted is used for personal recovery, for sponsor/sponsee discussion, or as the focus of an OA meeting.
    • Reprinted recovery content cannot be printed in full on online platforms. To share online, use the direct uniform resource locator (URL) to the recovery content or the respective “share” button on the recovery content’s page. The online platform may automatically generate a preview image of the content, which is allowed.
    • Reprints of image-based content (photographs and illustrations) from print and online Lifeline clearly marked as member created can be shared. Images not clearly marked cannot be reprinted unless automatically generated by the above-stated “preview” feature.
  • The reprinted article must be used in a manner consistent with OA’s mission of carrying our message of recovery to those suffering from compulsive eating and compulsive eating behaviors.
  • Lifeline recovery content cannot be revised, recombined, or sold.
  • Articles included in OA compilations of Lifeline articles, including but not limited to Taste of Lifeline and Lifeline Sampler, must receive written permission. To apply for reprint permission, use the Reprint Permission Form.
  • Reprinted Lifeline recovery content must cite the source (Lifeline) and include the Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. copyright.
    • For reprints from print Lifeline, use this copyright format: Lifeline [issue month and year], © Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.
    • For reprints from online Lifeline, use this copyright format: Lifeline: Stories of Recovery, [year] © Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.

Audio Recordings

Registered groups and service bodies wishing to create a lending library of digital media may request permission to duplicate a CD or digital file using the reprint request procedures above. Approval will allow the group/service body to keep one master recording and one copy to lend to members. Recordings sold by the World Service Office or its designated vendor, including recordings created at World Service Business Conference and World Service Convention or sold via the OA bookstore, whether on CD or in other formats, may not be duplicated and distributed via website or other media, except in the case of radio and television public service announcements, which may be duplicated without written permission for public information purposes.

Guidelines for Using Non-OA-Owned Material and Trademarks

Copyright and trademark laws apply to all forms of media, including print, promotional materials, digital content, and social media. Using content without written permission constitutes an “infringement”—the unauthorized use of someone else’s work, violating their copyright or trademark rights. For guidance on complying with intellectual property laws and preventing infringement, see Guidelines for Using Copyrighted Material and Trademarks.

OA Responsibility Pledge

Always to extend the hand and heart of OA
to all who share my compulsion;
for this I am responsible.

© 2021, 2025 Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. All rights reserved.

Overeaters Anonymous, Inc. World Service Office
Location: 6075 Zenith Court NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144, USA
Mailing address: PO Box 44727, Rio Rancho, NM 87174-4727, USA
Telephone: +1 505-891-2664