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Copyright for Information?

by Anoopchawla
14 replies
Hey there, I was wondering can a piece of information or technique be copyrighted?

Reason I ask this is because I have found some great techniques on time management and improving productivity from a book, and I want to create my own product based on them.

So my question is can the author sue me for that?

Of course I will be adding my own insights and techniques to the product, but it will still have the same essence.
#copywrite #techniques
  • Profile picture of the author contentwriting360
    Banned
    Hello Anoopchawla,

    I am not a lawyer but you will find the answer from here.

    I think you can still be sued if your idea resembles that of the original owner. I'm not just sure about that. Perhaps, other Warriors who have personally experienced or dealt with this may give you a perfect answer.

    But at least I hope that link helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Anoopchawla View Post

    Of course I will be adding my own insights and techniques to the product, but it will still have the same essence.
    How would you feel about it, Anoop, if you had produced the original version and someone did that after all your work and product-development, and theirs "still had the same essence"? Does that perhaps answer your question?

    Originally Posted by Anoopchawla View Post

    So my question is can the author sue me for that?
    I'm no lawyer, but it probably depends on whether it's a "derivative work", I suspect. And I suspect that "still having the same essence" means pretty much the same as "derivative". Don't you?

    Anyway, a forum's a really bad place to seek legal advice, and an even worse place to take it ... http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...al-advice.html
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    • Profile picture of the author bengirwb
      [QUOTE=Alexa Smith;6576649]How would you feel about it, Anoop, if you had produced the original version and someone did that after all your work and product-development, and theirs "still had the same essence"? Does that perhaps answer your question?

      Well, how would you feel if you're Shakespeare and your "Romeo and Juliet" was fancied up into a musical called the West Side Story?

      You can not copyright ideas. Or facts. Only the special way it is presented.

      Otherwise, after Dr. Spock there would have been no more books on how to raise babies.
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      • Profile picture of the author Sid Hale
        I'm not a lawyer, but FWIW...

        Originally Posted by bengirwb View Post

        You can not copyright ideas. Or facts. Only the special way it is presented.
        That is the correct answer.

        Ideas are not copyrightable.

        While you're at it, however, you should also make sure that there isn't a patent involved (at least if there is a process is involved).
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by bengirwb View Post

        Well, how would you feel if you're Shakespeare and your "Romeo and Juliet" was fancied up into a musical called the West Side Story?
        West Side Story was written after Romeo & Juliet was out of copyright. And that's the point.

        There's certainly been plenty of litigation over similar but more modern examples of your analogy in which the copyright of original work hasn't yet expired.

        Originally Posted by bengirwb View Post

        You can not copyright ideas.
        Nobody suggested that you could.

        But Anoop was asking whether something he referred to as "still having the same essence" would be a breach of copyright. "Derivative works" are breaches of copyright. As I mentioned, whether it'll be a breach of copyright depends on whether something "still having the same essence" is a "derivative work".
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      • Profile picture of the author jacktackett
        Originally Posted by bengirwb View Post


        You can not copyright ideas. Or facts. Only the special way it is presented.
        IANAL - But you can patent business processes and copyright the implementation instructions. Talk to an intellectual property lawyer.

        --Jack
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        • Profile picture of the author adsassist
          Originally Posted by jacktackett View Post

          IANAL - But you can patent business processes and copyright the implementation instructions. Talk to an intellectual property lawyer.

          --Jack
          You can all ways make your own processes/instructions with the same end result.

          Just use the idea and make your own foot steps.

          You will NEVER find one product for an idea.

          Unless its a super secret under ground government testing product you don't even know about. In which you don't even know what the idea is.
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          • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
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            Originally Posted by adsassist View Post

            Unless its a super secret under ground government testing product you don't even know about. In which you don't even know what the idea is.
            Unless they hid said idea out in the open where no one would ever think to look . Makes you think.
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  • Profile picture of the author Anoopchawla
    What I meant was:
    If we take the example of making a to do list, a to do list will always be a to do list, but I can add how it helps clear your mind and why it helps (my insights) and how to do it so it produces the best results.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Robinson
    Banned
    A favorite saying from my childhood:

    "If you have to ask, the answer is no." Since you give us no specific information with which to gauge the actual situation and decide if what you intend to do is right or wrong, I'm going to say no. Not that it matters though. More often than not people just ask these questions looking for validation, and will pursue their desired course of action regardless.

    Too cynical :p :rolleyes:?
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  • Profile picture of the author adsassist
    You have nothing to worry about.

    Just make sure its your words and explain it your way.

    Think about how many "Make Money Online" eBooks are out there.

    The idea is the same. The books are different variations of that idea. You can never keep an idea to your self and profit off it. Someone will all ways try to make the idea better. That's just business and marketing.

    Just keep your product true to your self. Don't try to change words. Make your own of that idea.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      Originally Posted by adsassist View Post

      You have nothing to worry about.
      And that comment illustrates very neatly why people shouldn't ask for, or take, legal advice in a forum.

      It's nonsense: you can't possibly know, just from what he said, that he has nothing to worry about.

      There are hundreds of lawsuits over "derivative works".
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      • Profile picture of the author adsassist
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        And that comment illustrates very neatly why people shouldn't ask for, or take, legal advice in a forum.

        It's nonsense: you can't possibly know, just from what he said, that he has nothing to worry about.

        There are hundreds of lawsuits over "derivative works".
        This really is not legal advice. Its common sense.

        Where talking about an idea not a product. YOU CAN NOT OWN AN IDEA.

        Whats there not to understand.

        With any lawsuits out there for this, the person did not follow there own foot steps on this idea. They went off a product not the idea.

        Like I said, If you take an idea and stay true to your self on how you see things, your product will be unique. They are your thoughts of the idea.

        Think about this. From the second you wake up EVERYTHING you see around you has an idea behind it. Every single product you see can be replaced with the same idea behind it.

        There's nothing to argue here. Its common sense.
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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          Originally Posted by adsassist View Post

          This really is not legal advice. Its common sense.

          Where talking about an idea not a product. YOU CAN NOT OWN AN IDEA.
          Nobody's disputing that.

          That doesn't change the fact that some of your statements above are untrue.

          It's easy for you to sit there and tell the OP: "you have nothing to worry about". You don't know exactly what he's going to do and neither do I. You have no idea whether he has anything to worry about and neither do I. You also don't understand the first thing about the realities of copyright law with regard to "derivative works".

          It's become a sterile argument, and I, for one, have had enough of it.
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