Questions tagged [copyright]
Questions involving matters of copyright, encapsulating parody and level of similarity questions, reprinting and publishing of copyrighted works, public domain, attribution, fanfiction, legality, and fair use questions. Any question involving copyright law in the U.S. or abroad should be given this tag.
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Am I legally allowed to expand someone else's short story into a novel?
For years I told a short story in my kindergarten classroom. It was written and freely shared by the writer. I rewrote the short story (2-3 pages) into a middle grade chapter book, expanding the plot, ...
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I have a character that has a slightly similar name to a title of a book. Do I have to change it even though it’s spelled completely different?
I have a character name that is similar to a book title. However the name is a fantasy type name but I spell it completely different. Will I get in trouble for my character having a similar name?
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Legality of screenshots from TV commercials
Screenshots from TV commercials.
I'm writing a book on costume design for students and I want to show an image from A TV commercial showing an example of advertising costuming style. Is it legal to ...
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Can I name characters after characters in another work of fiction, or is that going to lead to copyright issues?
I have a novel in mind to write and I want to name the main two characters after two minor characters in Star Trek. They are not at all alike or connected in any way, but Star Trek is very important ...
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Posting Poetry by Deceased Persons
Do I have a legal right to post poetry on FB from my deceased grandmother's journal, written by others now deceased, in the 1920's, which includes their names and addresses? The journal was given to ...
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It is legal to recreate Camp Half-Blood in my own writing? [duplicate]
"Camp Half-Blood" is the name of a location in a book series of the same name from the author Rick Riordan. It is legal to recreate this location in my own writing, even if the original ...
user60583
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A Novel Based Off A Song...How Close Can It Get?
I have recently become obsessed with the song Devil Town by Cavetown. I haven't been that into writing recently and this song has really inspired me. I was wondering what's a yes and whats a no to ...
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Seeking advice on safeguarding my manuscript
I'm an Australian writer who is contemplating sending my manuscript to a novel editor in America. I'm concerned about the possibility of my work being claimed by someone else. Given my limited ...
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Can I publish a collection of poetry that alludes to other authors such as Shakespeare and Wordsworth without violating copyright?
I am a teacher. My students want to self publish their work as a collection of poetry and short stories.
Some of their assignments were to allude to other works and authors—like Wordsworth or ...
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Can I use more specific monsters and creatures legally?
To be specific, metallic or chromatic dragons for an example. I know mindflayers and beholders and such are way off the list. But is the concept of dragons in distinct categories like this too similar ...
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Rights Clearance for Self-Publishers
Asking a lawyer to vet a book would be very expensive. Someone told me a better option is to hire a firm that specializes in reviewing books for intellectual problems, publicity rights, defamation, ...
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Can emphasizing a point qualify as fair use?
I'm learning the ropes regarding fair use. An important key word appears to be "transformative." If I'm writing political commentary, and I violently disagree with someone else's opinion, I ...
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How can I know if my character name is already taken? If it is, can I use the same name?
I am creating an action/adventure comic strip in the vein of Indiana Jones. Currently the character’s name is Panda Jack. The strip will have a title like “Panda Jack and the… fill-in-the-blank”. I am ...
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Recreating public domain children's stories and using the original illustration?
Personally, I love old children's books. The artwork is phenomenal. Recently I saw more than one person selling Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. I do not intend to take public domain stories from one ...
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Copyright question?
Can I use the phrases "what do you see?" and "I see--" that is used in Brown Bear, Brown Bear in a children’s book, or are those phrases copyrighted? My book is about Halloween ...
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Is it copyright infringement if my character is pretty similar to another character?
I want to create a manga. The problem is that my characters are pretty similar to oshi no ko characters. For example, the main character has the star eyes like ai eyes, and her eyes are purple. ...
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Do I need to ask real locations' permission to use them in my story?
I have written a children's book about dragons and the things they do in Texas. Do I need to ask i.e. the Lubbock Arboretum if it's okay that I mention them in my story? So my question is: When do I ...
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Can I say the word LEGO in my book [duplicate]
Can I say the lego set was destroyed on perpouse by someone?
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Is it a copyright violation to quote another book in my book?
I am writing a novel from the perspective of a character who is very obsessed with Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club.” This is essential to the character and can’t be changed, but I can (and will, ...
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Would this be a copyright issue?
I had an idea for a book like "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" but based on a popular children’s movie. If the artwork is my own, would there be any possible copyright issues?
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Applying copyright for book with photos
When we register a book for copyright, do we need to apply for separate copyright registration for the photos in the book?
And how about the front and back cover, can we add those to the pdf file of ...
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Is my story too much like Harry Potter?
Is my story too much like Harry Potter?
My story is set in a magical world hidden within our own, and it has many magical version of things we do.
It has wands but I have decided to change it and ...
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How is AI treated in terms of copyright?
If a writer uses an AI tool and enters a prompt then uses the tool's output, is that copyright infringed?
Just to be more clear with my question. I am not talking about a prompt that says "Write ...
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Can I use a song and/or quotes when writing a play?
I would like to write a one act play based on a song. Would I be violating any copyright issues or anything for this approach?
A music video was made for the song and one film used it for its opening ...
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Is this plagiarism or against copyright?
The main character is an Isekai'd individual who gains a summon skill that lets her create templates of her summons. She makes a summon called Kuriboh that initially can multiply and explode. Some of ...
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Publishing copyright with regard to novels and comics
I wasn't sure where to post this, but I have a couple of questions about copyright law regarding written and illustrated works.
If I traditionally publish a novel and maintain the copyright, can I ...
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Too much like Harry Potter - Tropes
I am designing a magical world for which I have plenty of ideas but I am worried if they are too much like Harry Potter.
Please look through this list and tell me which ideas are too much like Harry ...
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International post-publicaton copyright
I have an unusual question. My husband wrote a non-fiction niche book which is unlikely to ever have any monetary value and which was self-published in Canada. He is recently deceased. I am not sure ...
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Correct authorship attribution for online resource published under usernames
I am currently writing my PhD thesis and found a very helpful illustration of the human brain which is distributed under a CC license. I made some minor changes to the image, but of course I still ...
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What if I have a story with some characters from another story by a different author and don't want to be copyrighted?
I am writing a story with some of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson characters in it like, Percy, Annabeth, Grover,Leo, Hazel, Piper, Jason, and much more other characters in his story. I wanted to make a &...
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How to copyright my deceased brother's book
When I apply to copyright my deceased brother's book, do I do it in my name?
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Can there be fan fiction of a public domain universe?
Fan fiction generally occupies a gray area of the law - widely tolerated under "fair use" for noncommercial sharing, publication, and performance, but almost never acceptable for profiting ...
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should I insert a copyright notice into my Kindle Direct Publishing Vella publication?
Is it a good idea to have a copyright notice at the beginning or end of each episode, or in my Vella story's Description section?
I'm thinking maybe:
"COPYRIGHT 2022 BY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED"
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Copywrite/patent issues
I am writing a children' book. The main character is an animal that has a name and characteristics that are very identifiable to a human actor's character.
For instance, let's say the animal was a ...
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What can I do so my work isn't closely similar to others?
I'm writing romance right now. I'm on the part where it's like a really good poem or a scene. You know, the one where you'll see it posted/quoted everywhere in Instagram or some other, but everything ...
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Are you allowed to use sci-fi terms you get from the internet?
I’m working on a sci-fi project for a major franchise and it focuses heavily on sci-fi tech terms and science concepts and terms. Lots of the terms I invented but some I found on Internet forums like ...
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Can fan fiction be licensed under a free license that permits commercial use?
Most fan fiction are not freely licensed, but can a fan fiction/story be licensed under a free license, e.g. a CC BY license (or other Creative Commons license that allows commercial use)?
Does this ...
user55751
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Can I take the text of my own already published book (ebook & POD), amend & improve it, add new title and cover pic, and self-publish as a new book?
I have a published (ebook & paperback) novel which was published in 2015 by a UK publishing house. The text was never carefully or properly proofed and there were many printing problems. Net ...
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Is it possible for an author to publish an online course based on their published book?
I know that a publisher usually demands exclusive publishing rights for a period of time. However, if that author creates an online course based on the book, would that typically be restricted by the ...
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How do Fair Use and Copyright laws apply to allusions in writing?
I'm working on a novel where one of my main characters is young, and supposed to be obsessed with anything under the brand name "Star Wars"(Especially pertaining to the movie.) When talking ...
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Can I quote lines from a tv show in my book? [closed]
I am writing a memoir and I want to know if I can quote some lines from some of my favorite TV shows from the 50's and 60's in my upcoming book.
For example:
Superman: "look up in the sky! It's ...
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Writing a story based on parts of greek mythology
I'd like to write a story that uses bits and pieces from the myth about Ambrogio. Can I do that legally? I have my own version of this so-called myth and don't want to get myself in trouble if I use ...
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Can a story have a monster called the "Venomancer"?
The name "Venomancer" is taken from the Defense of the Ancients series of video games, where it is a monster capable of poisoning targets.
Now I am asking: can a fantasy story have a monster ...
user55751
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I want to name a fantasy species something, but it's the name of a similar species in WoW. Is that okay?
I came up with a name for a species in my fantasy world, and looked it up to see if it had been used already. Turns out it's the name of a species in WoW. They are both big cats. Am I infringing on ...
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Can you avoid getting sued or copyrighted for using products you don't have permission by changing their names?
So I was browsing on Tv Tropes (don't judge me) and found out this trope called A.K.A.-47 which authors or creators use to avoid getting lawsuit from companies. They change the names or tweak some ...
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Are book designs copyrighted?
I finished writing a book, and was planning to publish, but decided to go a self-publishing route so I can maintain better ownership of it. It's a children's textbook, so it needs to look professional,...
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Republishing (with illustrations) a copyrighted book with permission
I am a high school teacher and would like to approach the publisher of a copyrighted translation of a classic book about republishing it, this time with (public domain classic paintings as) ...
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Protecting a POV in visual adaptation of a novel
I’m considering allowing a film adaptation of my novel but want the “frame story” message maintained. What would this device technically be called in the agreement?
Example:
The original Planet of the ...
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Is it possible to keep a pen name's identity anonymous today?
Given that a copyright application protects an author and has the "Pseudonymous" option, the legal claimant is always required in the form if you intend to have any legal protections, ...
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Do I need copyright permission to rewrite an old classic?
I'm planning to rewrite some old classics such as "Oliver Twist", "David Copperfield", "Jane Eyre", etc. in simple English. They will be abridged adaptations (with due ...
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