Is this legal - Citing short segments of other people's free content, providing you credit them...

[Nick Brighton]

So I want to add some content into an eBook, content that is from free sources, written by other people.

We're talking a few sentences here and there, literally snapshots, ultra light tips etc. Nothing heavy, nothing exclusive.

I want to put this content in my eBook, but it's obviously not my intention to rip people off. Sure, the info is freely available, and I could just rewrite it, but I prefer to be as integral as possible when it comes to such things.

So, my idea was this:

Let's say I start a new section with my own wording...

Now we're going to look at how to do "x". According to Expert A from website "Z", here's what you need to do:

(expert's quote)
"tip a, do this and that, this will happen, that will happen, you can also try this..."
- source: www.experttips.org

Is that illegal? Is that reasonable? I have several varying quotes (or citations) that I would like to use...should I take a week or so out of my shcedule and contact all these people via email and ask for permission? Is that even necessary?

Cheers for your help...

P.S

When doing a dissertation, or pretty much any further education essays, one of the requirements is to use citations based on your points...so surely this sort of thing can't be illegal per se?

Is there something I am missing, am I just being paranoid?

[Tim Franklin]

This is not legal advice.

Hi, there is an accepted format for using this type of content, citing source is one of the accepted formats, I would do some research into the most commonly used, terminology.

I would say for instance, that you would at the minimum use a third person perspective, so you would not use a first person quote, then show the citation.

you would use a third person quote, with the following citation.

look at how it is done by professional journalists.

That will be the defining method.

[BlueSquares]

Here's a good thread on this.


This an acceptable way of citing sources?

[giveusallfreedom]

BAM

Straight from the government baby. Can't get any more official than this. Unless of course you don't live in the US. In that case figure it out on you're own. ;^)

U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use

[cosmokid]

Usually for anything more than a sentence or two you really need to get permissions in written form - especially if you're quoting from a book. It can be a real hassle gathering those, believe me! But a brief quote is usually okay.

Be careful about quoting anything that AP - the Associate Press - has published. They publish many of the news releases and articles you see online. In recent years they went bat*!@% with lawsuits going after people quoting their stuff. Most webmaster won't publish ANYTHING retrieved from an AP piece now due to litigation issues.

Jennifer

[Chipt]

One thing I do in these cases is to simply create a real bibliography like textbook and other authors do, citing the publisher, author, title, copyright date, page number, etc.

It is simple enough to footnote in docs these days, too, if you prefer. And I even include the URL to the original text many times as well. I don't want anyone to think I am stealing or plagiarizing their stuff...

Chip Tarver

PS -- If time is of no consequence, it's always good to get a release when in doubt. Then you can say, "Used with permission yadayada."

[Ted Kopelli]

"Fair use" does not necessarily give you permission for monetary gain. Any commercial use of someone else's work should have permission in writing to be safe.

As stated in the US code, "fair use" is content cited for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research, NOT for commercial monetary gain.

IM'ers are out!

Ted

[Kay King]

Exactly - I see marketers claiming "fair use" because the idea appeals to them.

You can use reference quotes in dissertations, theses and other educational materials because "fair use" was initially designed to cover educational use.

When you say "free sources" that could refer simply to an ability to find the info written somewhere - doesn't mean free to take it.

Permission is needed. This can be easy to obtain as long as you are willing to give the proper reference. Many authors love to be quoted.

kay

[Jelasco]

Why not contact these writers and ask them? You may find some who will gladly let you quote a longer section or even write a special article for you. Plus some of them may become affiliates or JV partners.

Offer to give them a free copy of the entire product if they'll let you use their writing and tell them you'll give them credit including mentioning their website. Free publicity for them.

I would go that route even if I thought legally I was not required to.

[espacecadet]

As stated above in GiveUsAllFreedom's post U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use,

"Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission."

[Steven Wagenheim]

For what it's worth, this is what I did just today. Paul Myers can verify it if
he likes.

I emailed him and asked if I could use a paragraph from his TalkBizNews
newsletter in my new ebook. He wrote back letting me know that it was
okay. Oh, I also offered to include a link to his newsletter as well.

To me, that's the way it should be handled.

It's not legal advice. It's just good old fashioned courtesy and common
sense.