Another copyright question (sorry)

thartley

thartley

Veteran
If I want to use famous quotes on title screens between different segments of a film, sort of like the tv show Fraser used little sayings between scenes. I would think it is copyright infringement if the quote is part of a published work that is not public domain. Am I right?

I googled for quotes on freedom today, and found three I really liked. One is by Robert Frost "Freedom lies in being bold." I have no idea if this is a quote of something he merely said, or if it is part of something he wrote and published.

When is it okay, in regard to copyright issues, to use some of those corny inspirational quotes in our own products?
 
I've never seen a copyright notice on any (short) quotes. I don't see how they could do, practically speaking.

Beware of Trade Marked slogans, though.
 
I believe it's not infringement as long as you credit the person who said it.

So it'd just be "Freedom lies in being bold."-Robert Frost

I think you're okay when you do that.
 
dj200423 said:
I believe it's not infringement as long as you credit the person who said it.

So it'd just be "Freedom lies in being bold."-Robert Frost

I think you're okay when you do that.
Click to expand...

I was hoping that would be the answer I got. :thumbsup:
 
it is still infringement. the copyright holder has 6 exclusive rights:

1. to reproduce the copyrighted work in whole or in part
2. to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work
3. to distibute copies of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending
4. in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works, to perform the copyrighted work publicly
5. in the casce of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, to display the copyrighted work publicly
6. in the case of sound recordings, to perform the copyrighted work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission

i think this case could would fall under #1 and probably #2 as well. but if you can wait another 25 years or so Frost will be in the public domain in 2033.

Only a few years until Mickey Mouse enters the public domain and we can all use him in whatever we want!
 
The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: “quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author's observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.”
 
Yeah, I was reading that and trying to make sure I could convince myself it was okay. heh! Basically, the project is a video exhibition planned for a multimedia gallery opening with a theme. Not for sale in and of itself.
 
Open up a copy of Bartlett's. Are there 50 pages of fine-print copyright notices in front? Does the book cost $2000 to offset the needed licensing. :)
 
those fair use examples are just defenses. they are not the law. even if your work is found to be fair use, it costs a lot of money to get sued. be careful.
 
thartley said:
Yeah, I was reading that and trying to make sure I could convince myself it was okay. heh! Basically, the project is a video exhibition planned for a multimedia gallery opening with a theme. Not for sale in and of itself.
Click to expand...

Any public display . . .
 
I just wanted to comment that you need a bit of freedom when you work on a project such as yours, and that furthermore I think freedom lies in being bold.

Hmm.. that's kind of deep. Anybody who wants to quote me on that can do so free of charge!

;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top