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mahoneybee
08-23-2003, 04:23 PM
My question: If I use quotations from songs, poems, etc. in my artwork and include the author, am I violating copywrite laws? As an example, in a number of Mary Engelbreit's (sp?) works, she quotes poetry or other quotations and includes the author's name. Do you have to get specific permission to do so, or are you OK as long as you are including the author with the quote you are illustrating?
(I am new to WC, but think this is a great website and I have shared it with fellow artists. Thanks in advance for being here!)










:confused:
boogers
08-23-2003, 10:19 PM
It depends on how concientious you choose to be...
Here is a site that gives more information on the correct way to "source cite" your quotes.
http://www.troyst.edu/writingcenter/handouts/citing_quotations.html
mahoneybee
08-24-2003, 10:05 PM
Do you think there are different laws regarding quotes from song lyrics vs. quotes from literature? It seems that the laws protecting song lyrics are even more strict. Isn't there a length of time after which published work becomes public domain? I had found this website that is pretty informative, but still doesn't answer all my questions. I doubt I will be mass-producing anything, but I don't want to do anything illegal. Here is the website I had found:
http://www.wiley.com/legacy/authors/guidelines/permiss.pdf
thanks for your help!
Elankat
08-27-2003, 10:28 AM
Well, I can't remember many of the sayings on Engelbreit's work, but if they are from older literary works (19th century and earlier), then chances are good that the copyright has probably expired. Copyright is good for 70 years after the death of the copyright owner. If the quote was originally just a short phrase, that's safe too because you can't copyright short phrases.

As far as the rest goes, it's debatable. There's a Fair Use clause that makes it okay to reproduce excerpts, however Fair Use also has criteria regarding money/profit and the impact on the copyright holder.

If you look at my sig, there's a link to the US Office of Copyright. Their FAQ is very helpful.