What is the copyright law concerning the use of quotes and sayings?

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   anglnwuposted 12 years ago

   What is the copyright law concerning the use of quotes and sayings?
   
   If I'm writing a book and need to use a quote or saying from a famous person or another author, do I have to ask for permission to use it?

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2. 61

   angel4967posted 12 years ago

   That's a tricky question.  It has always been my understanding as long as you acknowledge or footnote where you quote is coming from you are in the clear.  Some quotes though become public domain because they become so common.  I would say make sure you get the quote exactly right (you don't want to be accused of slander by misquoting) and acknowledge who said it.  If the person is deceased you wouldn't have a way to get permission anyway.

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      anglnwuposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for the information. I understand that if the person is deceased for more than 70 years, the copyright is void. Don't know if that is accurate information.

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      wandererhposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If I'm not mistaken, the 70 year rule applies only to US copyright law and not for the rest of the world.

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      angel4967posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I have a quotes page on my website and I always put quotation marks around it and site the author if it is known.  I'm not sure there's much else you can do.  You can check mine here   http://www.ariesmoonproductions.com/18.html

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   Pamela99posted 12 years ago

   I put the quote or saying in quotation marks and acknowledge the source, even of they are deceased. If the source is unknown, I write unknown source. I am not an expert and do not know if this is absolutely correct.

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      anglnwuposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Pamela. I do that too but am wondering if that is enough to protect ourselves against infringing copyrights.

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   huckelburyposted 12 years ago

   The fair use doctrine allows authors and researchers to use material from outside sources but with attribution. You will need to cite your source, in other words and identify the material, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased. You don't want to commit plagiarism, most of which is unintentional, by passing off someone else's intellectual property as your own.

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   1. 67

      anglnwuposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks,  good to know that. I'll make sure to cite source, of course.

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      teaches12345posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If you quote a person or source, you must give credit to them in your article, book, etc..  As huckelbury states, if not -- it is considerered plagiarism.

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